• Zhejiang Hengsheng invested $70 million in a new textile factory in West Qantara.

• The plant is expected to create 1,300 direct jobs and generate $300 million in annual revenue.

• Egypt targets $10 billion in textile exports and 1 million jobs by end-2025.

Egyptian authorities officially launched the Zhejiang Hengsheng-funded textile plant project in July 2024. Located northeast of Cairo, the factory expects to generate 1,300 direct jobs.

On Saturday, September 20, 2025, Egyptian authorities inaugurated the Hengsheng textile factory. A government information service communiqué confirmed the opening.

The $70 million Chinese-backed factory, officially launched in 2024, occupies 20 hectares within the West Qantara Industrial Zone. It houses units for dyeing, processing, and printing fabrics and various textile products. This new project will initially strengthen local textile production, thus increasing sectoral added value. It will also create 1,300 direct jobs.

Egyptian authorities are using the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone), which includes the West Qantara Industrial Zone, to bolster the country's industrial base. This initiative aims to create economic added value, boost exports, and strengthen foreign exchange reserves. In the textile and apparel sector, Egypt targets $10 billion in annual exports and 1 million jobs by the end of 2025.

Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli stated the industrial project's inauguration "reflects the confidence of major international companies in the Egyptian economy and the state's success in creating an attractive investment environment based on the integration of equipment and infrastructure with industrial projects," as relayed by the government information service.

Chen Song Fu, chairman of the Chinese company, projects the fully operational factory will generate $300 million in annual revenue.

This article was initially published in French by Moutiou Adjibi Nourou
Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum