China's top legislator Wu Bangguo?toured a Chinese-Egyptian joint
training aircraft project in Cairo on Sunday, a program which
highlights the strength of Sino-Egyptian relations.
Wu, Chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National
People's Congress (NPC), visited the components and assembly
workshops of Arab Organization for Industrialization's (AOI)
aircraft factory, lying to the south of Cairo in the suburb of
Helawan.
Wu, who arrived on Sunday, posed for a photo opportunity with a
new K-8E aircraft and quipped that Sino-Egyptian cooperation now
soared in full wing.
He also met with Lieutenant General Hamdy Wahiba, President of
the AOI, and discussed the production of the K-8E aircraft as set
down between China and Egypt at the end of 1999. The initial
agreement was to cooperatively manufacture 80 aircraft, build an
aircraft localized production line, an aircraft research center and
a comprehensive logistic safeguard system.
The first batch of 80 aircraft was completed on Dec. 11, 2005
but both sides had already decided on building a further 40
aircraft in November, 2004, with the production of six aircrafts
already completed and 10 to be produced yearly within four
years.
The Arab Organization for Industrialization (AOI) oversees nine
military factories which produce civilian and military products.
Originally a tripartite organization, the AOI is now solely run by
Egypt after Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates returned
their AOI shares to Egypt in 1993, a move valued at US$1.8
billion.
Egypt is the first stop of Wu's three-nation tour to Africa and
Europe, during which he will also visit Hungary and Poland.
(Xinhua News Agency May 21, 2007)
