The outbreak of the novel coronavirus has no impact on the projects implemented by the Chinese companies in Egypt, especially the new administrative capital, said a spokesperson of Egypt's Housing Ministry.
"There is no problem at all in the projects that the Chinese companies have been carrying out in Egypt, including the construction of the Central Business District (CBD) which is the focus of the first phase of the new administrative capital," Amro Khatab told Xinhua in a recent interview.
Carried out by China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC), the CBD is composed of 20 towers including a 385-meter high 80-floor skyscraper in the country's new administrative capital city some 50 km east of Cairo.
Khatab sees the CBD project as "an evidence of the Chinese-Egyptian deep relationships in the construction and development fields."
Deeming the project as "very important for developing the new capital," the housing official added it will turn the new capital into a regional hub for business and management.
He confirmed the Chinese company was working in full capacity, with no issues in the construction schedule.
"The CSCEC is applying strong preventive measures to protect the workers on site from the COVID-19," the Egyptian official said, adding that no sign of illness among the employees has been detected.
He highlighted that the Chinese workers in the CBD site are racing the time to finish the project because the CBD is the first cooperation between Egypt and China in the skyscraper industry.
Reiterating all quarantine measures by the Chinese company, Khatab added the commitment of the Chinese side strengthens trust between the Chinese and Egyptian people in all domains of cooperation.
"There are no worries or fears about possible postponement of the project due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. On the contrary, the project will be implemented before its scheduled plan," he stressed.
The deal for the CBD project was signed in January 2016 in the presence of the Egyptian and Chinese leaders and CSCEC officially started carrying out the project in May 2018.
Hailing the Chinese experience in controlling the virus, Khatab referred to the recent visit of Egypt's Health Minister Hala Zayed to China for exchanging information and experiences in fighting the new virus.
Zayed has paid a visit to China at the beginning of March to send a message of solidarity to the Chinese people in their fight against the spread of the virus.
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