To support industry enterprises in seizing market opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and to facilitate precise alignment with international industrial cooperation resources, from November 24 to December 3, 2025, Zhang Yan, President of the China Concrete and Cement-based Products Association (CCPA), led a delegation composed of industry organizations and key enterprises to the United Arab Emirates(UAE), Morocco, and Egypt for international industrial cooperation matchmaking and market surveys. The delegation represented the full industrial chain, including cement, concrete, cement-based products, raw and auxiliary materials, and admixtures.

During the visit, the delegation closely aligned with local infrastructure and construction industry development needs. Focusing on topics such as market access, engineering procurement models, and pathways for industrial synergetic cooperation, the delegation engaged in in-depth exchanges with local government departments, industry associations, leading enterprises, and Chinese-funded international engineering companies. These activities injected new momentum into accelerating the global outreach of China’s high-quality production capacity, advanced technologies, and standards in the concrete and cement-based products industry, and into building a new framework for international industrial cooperation.

UAE: Anchoring the Middle East Hub and Connecting Global Construction Industry Resources

As the first stop of the visit, the UAE is China’s largest export destination in the Arab region, with Abu Dhabi and Dubai serving as core engines of regional economic development. The delegation focused on two key activities: an inspection visit to the Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (KEZAD GROUP) and attendance at the Big 5 Global exhibition in Dubai.

At KEZAD GROUP, the delegation examined the local policy framework and industrial ecosystem, with emphasis on strategies and investment opportunities for enterprises entering the local market. Benefiting from strong policy incentives and transportation advantages, the zone hosts the China–Arab Capacity Cooperation Demonstration Zone, an important Belt and Road Initiative project that has already attracted 49 enterprises.

The Big 5 Global exhibition brought together more than 2,800 exhibitors from around the world, including nearly 800 Chinese companies, among which there were over 30 companies specializing in concrete and its related industries. The delegation held discussions with Chinese-funded companies such as Jianhua Construction MATERIALS(China) Co., Ltd. and Wuhan Ujoin Building Material Technology Co., Ltd. on international development pathways, and exchanged views with international companies including ELEMATIC, Bekaert, GUARD, and RECKLI on new products and technologies, laying a solid foundation for future cooperation.

Morocco: Seizing World Cup Infrastructure Opportunities and Deepening Multi-Dimensional Industrial Cooperation

As the first North African country to sign a Belt and Road cooperation document with China, Morocco presents significant opportunities through major projects such as infrastructure construction for the 2030 FIFA World Cup. The delegation successively visited the Economic and Commercial Office of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Morocco, the Morocco branch of China Railway 20th Bureau Group Corporation, local leading enterprises, and building materials laboratories.

Counsellor Zheng Wei from the Embassy’s Economic and Commercial Office provided a comprehensive overview of Morocco’s investment advantages, noting that the country can serve as an important platform for Chinese enterprises to expand into Africa and reach European markets. He expressed expectations that Chinese concrete and cement-based products enterprises would seize these opportunities and deepen diversified cooperation with Chinese-funded engineering companies and local enterprises.

At the high-speed railway project headquarters and construction site of China Railway 20th Bureau Group Corporation in Morocco, the delegation conducted on-site inspections of the construction of a SANY HZS120 batching plant. Discussions were held on local supply and demand for cement, aggregates, admixtures, as well as relevant standards and specifications, and local project management practices. The regional head of Sany Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. for North Africa and Morocco accompanied the visit and introduced the company’s localized service system and business layout.

The delegation also visited the local leading enterprise INTERSIG Group, inspecting its laboratory, rebar processing plant, concrete block production line, and concrete batching plant. Exchanges were conducted on production processes, technologies, and local raw material supply and demand. The Moroccan Association of Concrete Industry accompanied the visit and provided a comprehensive introduction to the current status of Morocco’s concrete and cement-based products industry, related demands, and key areas for cooperation with China.

In addition, the delegation visited the CETEMCO building materials laboratory, engaging in in-depth discussions on critical issues including international standards alignment, technical specifications, market access testing for various product segments, certification procedures, and future cooperation directions. These exchanges laid a solid foundation for the entry of Chinese concrete and cement-based products, technologies, and standards into the Moroccan market.

Egypt: Leveraging the Afro–Euro–Asian Hub to Explore Industrial Investment and Cooperation Potential

Located at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, Egypt is one of China’s largest trading partners and most active investment destinations. Through participation in government investment promotion sessions, visits to Chinese-funded engineering and manufacturing enterprises, and inspections of industrial parks, the delegation gained a comprehensive understanding of the local investment environment and industrial opportunities.

At a special investment promotion event organized by the Commercial Service Bureau of Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade of Arab Republic of Egypt, the Egyptian side extended a warm welcome to the first Chinese delegation from the concrete and cement-based products industry. Representatives from the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade, the Commercial Service Bureau, and the Industrial Development Authority provided detailed explanations of the investment ecosystem and incentive policies, and clearly expressed their desire to deepen technological cooperation with China’s concrete and cement-based products industry and related upstream and downstream sectors. Currently, more than 3,000 Chinese enterprises are operating in Egypt, highlighting the country’s significant market potential.

The delegation visited the Egypt Branch of China State Construction Engineering Co., Ltd., the Egypt Branch of Chengdu Design & Research Institute of Building Materials Industry Co., Ltd. (Sinoma-CDI), the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone, and the manufacturing base of CSCEC Steel Egypt Co., Ltd.

The Egypt Branch of China State Construction Engineering Co., Ltd. shared information on landmark projects such as the Central Business District of Egypt’s New Administrative Capital. Exchanges focused on engineering applications of building materials and concrete and cement-based products, raw material supply, and procurement models. The delegation also conducted on-site inspections of the Iconic Tower, the tallest building in Africa, as well as supporting projects including the CBD Energy Center and office buildings.

The Egypt Branch of SINOMA-CDI introduced its experience in international cement plant operation and maintenance management and cross-sector engineering design and construction. In-depth discussions were held on strategic deployment in Egypt and across Africa, progress on key projects, and the potential for industrial synergetic cooperation.

As a Belt and Road China–Africa cooperation demonstration project, the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone has attracted 185 enterprises, including many world-class companies, supporting Egypt in cultivating multiple emerging industries. The manufacturing base of CSCEC Steel Egypt Co., Ltd., a technologically advanced steel structure production base in North Africa, exports products to many countries across Asia, Africa, and Europe, providing valuable reference for industry-wide collaborative development.

Conclusion: Seizing Belt and Road Opportunities and Jointly Mapping a New Blueprint for International Cooperation

During the visit, President Zhang comprehensively presented to host parties in the three countries the development achievements of China’s concrete and cement-based products industry, the current state of international cooperation, technological trends, and applications in major international projects. He highlighted China’s competitive products and technologies in areas such as solid waste resource utilization, precast and prefabricated components, high-performance admixtures, and intelligent and digitalized solutions.

The ten-day cross-border industrial matchmaking and market survey achieved three key outcomes. First, it enabled a comprehensive understanding of the business environments and industrial dynamics of the three countries, allowing precise identification of market opportunities. Second, it helped establish regularized international exchange and cooperation mechanisms and accumulate high-quality cooperation resources. Third, it clarified pathways for the industry’s global expansion, providing strategic guidance for the international deployment of production capacity and technologies.

The MENA region represents a core hub for Belt and Road infrastructure connectivity and an important target market for the global expansion of Chinese enterprises, offering substantial infrastructure demand and opportunities for industrial upgrading. The technological foundations and capacity advantages of China’s concrete and cement-based products industry are highly aligned with the region’s development needs. Deepening pragmatic cooperation across the industrial chain will inject strong momentum into high-quality development of regional infrastructure and construction sectors, making this a timely moment for the industry to seize opportunities, expand its presence in the MENA region, and advance onto the global stage.