STORY: Business insiders commend Cairo's Pharmaconex Exhibition for strengthening partnerships between Egypt, China
SHOOTING TIME: Sept. 12, 2024
DATELINE: Sept. 13, 2024
LENGTH: 0:03:21
LOCATION: Cairo
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the Pharmaconex Exhibition 2024
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): PANG GUANHUA, Tofflon's general manager for MENA region
3. various of the Pharmaconex Exhibition 2024
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): YASIN RAGAEY, EDA assistant chairman for media affairs, community engagement, and investment support in pharmaceutical sector
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): AHMED AL-SHARKAWY, Chairman of Chem-Tech
6. SOUNDBITE 4 (Arabic): SAMAA ASHRAF, Egyptian university student

STORYLINE:

The three-day Pharmaconex Exhibition 2024, which concluded in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Tuesday, has become an important platform for strengthening partnerships between Egyptian and Chinese firms in the field of pharmaceuticals, business insiders said.
   
The 11th edition of the exhibition featured pharmaceutical products, equipment, technologies, and services from more than 200 companies worldwide, including more than 40 from China.
   
Shanghai-based Tofflon, a regular exhibitor at Pharmaconex, views Egypt as a gateway to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): PANG GUANHUA, Tofflon's general manager for MENA region
"We have been participating in Pharmaconex for more than a decade. So, this is a very attractive event in the pharmaceutical industry, not only in Egypt but also in the MENA region. The Egyptian pharmaceutical market is also developing faster after the COVID-19 pandemic. So that's why we want to continue to put our efforts and our new technology into the Egyptian market. We take the Pharmaconex as one of the biggest marketing activities in the region."

This year's event was held under the patronage of the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA).

SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): YASIN RAGAEY, EDA assistant chairman for media affairs, community engagement, and investment support in pharmaceutical sector
"China is a very important country for us, from where we import a large number of industrial inputs that we depend on. There are already partnerships between Egyptian private companies and Chinese suppliers, covering raw materials, packaging, and production machines."

Chem-Tech, an Egyptian firm that imports spare parts from China, showcased a diverse array of its equipment at its booth.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): AHMED AL-SHARKAWY, Chairman of Chem-Tech
"We cooperate with our Chinese brothers by importing spare parts for our equipment. For example, we import the silicon carbide heaters for our muffles from China, as well as some components for our locally manufactured control panels, and other accessories." 
   
Businessmen are not the only participants of the exhibition. Students from across Egypt also came to the event to look for job opportunities.
   
Samaa Ashraf, a university student learning pharmaceutics, came all the way from Upper Egypt's Asyut Province to the event to prepare for her future career.
   
She said that China is a leading player in the pharmaceutical field, especially in packaging, devices, and active ingredients.

SOUNDBITE 4 (Arabic): SAMAA ASHRAF, Egyptian university student
"The strong relations between Egypt and China will surely contribute to the transfer of China's expertise and technology in the pharmaceutical field to Egypt, which will be beneficial to us."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Cairo.
(XHTV)