By Adel Elbahnsawy
In line with Egypt’s policy of increasing investments in Ethiopia, a number of Egyptian businessmen have recently established a consulting firm in Ethiopia, said Mohamed Shaker el-Marqabi, member of the Egyptian-Ethiopian Business Council and head of the Export Council for Construction.
El-Marqabi told Al-Masry Al-Youm that Egypt faces danger not in the form of Israel’s presence in Ethiopia, which is limited, but rather from China, which is funding major projects in Ethiopia and other parts of Africa. Chinese investors are currently sponsoring a big dam in Ethiopia–Juba 3–which, when completed, will be the biggest hydroelectric station in Africa.
El-Marqabi also said Egypt should not be so concerned about dams on the Nile River, as many assume, as the real danger lies in attempts by central African states to change the Nile’s flow. According to el-Marqabi, hydropower projects shouldn’t concern Egypt because they will not affect water distribution quotas.
“The Egyptian government should think seriously of going into partnership with Ethiopia in this field by studying a project on electricity linkage, to exchange electricity during rush hours,” el-Marqabi said.
“Ethiopia can generate 11,000 megawatts of electricity from hydroelectric stations and only 200 megawatt are used so far,” he added, referring to Ethiopia’s plans to sell its extra electricity to neighboring countries.
“Egyptian companies have great investment opportunities in the field of distributing and transferring electricity,” el-Marqabi said. “Egyptians should prove their good faith in cooperation with Ethiopia over the long term.”
The export council chief also said Egypt should deal with Ethiopians as people of “intelligent brains,” noting that “most of them have received their education at western universities.”
“The main reason for a successful relationship between Egypt and Ethiopia is to have common interests,” he added.
(Translated from the Arabic Edition of ALMASRYALYOUM)
16 thoughts on “Egypt feels threatened by China’s growing presence in Ethiopia”
Dear Egyptians,
We don’t have no common interests, you always had your own interest in dismantling our people, “Islamizing” our people and destabilizing any government that tends to be strong and nationalist like the ones we had many decades or centuries ago, but now we have this chicken government that sells everything for money with no love for the country their ancestors defended by letting their bones crashed and their bloods flow for our beloved country. Shameful generation, that’s what we are and you are taking advantage of it…..
“common interest my a**”
[[The export council chief also said Egypt should deal with Ethiopians as people of “intelligent brains,” noting that “most of them have received their education at western universities.”]]
As opposed to getting the degrees in the middle east or the old Soviet Union? LOL :-)
Cooperation is the song of the day. Egypt should not worry about the water. Probably it should worry about the fertile soil because that may decrease as we start to limit erosion. We can prosper together. What is the use if the water is accumulated in Egypt and evaporate in the the desert. We can plan together to conserve water.
Egypt is Misir or thilmet (darkness). Ethiopia does not need any relationship with the Egyptian Muslims because Egypt has been the source of Islamist terrorists and Jihadists as Mr. Reza Safa, a former Muslim but now a Christian, attests in his Inside Islam, a book anyone must read. We don’t need terrorists to be in our country; Muslims take Jihadism as a Muslim duty that must be fulfilled by any Muslim in order to be with Muhammad in Paradise and to enjoy the paradise virgin girls. We have our own headaches – the Ethiopian Arab Muslims – and we don’t need some extra headaches from Egyptian Muslims.
Since our Christian number is going down, we must bring the Egyptian Coptic Christians to our land and help them settle in Ethiopia and multiply in this holy land of ours. What else can we do to boost our Christian population? Very soon, the Ethiopian Arab-Muslims are going to assume the highest offices in Ethiopia, and they will be the majority in Ethiopia. The greatest curse on this earth is to live as a minority Christian under the majority Muslims. Case in point, the Coptic Christians in Egypt, the few Christians in Pakistan, in Burma, in Indonesia, and in many other Arab-Muslim worlds. They suffer greatly everyday!
Wake up, Wake up, wake up, Ethiopia hagerie!
Ethiopian @1 above,
Get real!!! ISLAM is in ETHIOPIA well before EGYPT. Don’t play game with religion card! You use Ethiopian as a name – what a shame.
Geme
Here we go again! Typical narrow minded parochial medieval chest pumping politics of MUCH ADO about nothing.
I have no antipathy against the good Chinese but stupidly and unilaterally letting 1.4 billion extremely resource hungry Chinese to freely overrun disorganized and divided resource rich but wretched Ethiopia being dictated by a brutal one man dictatorship will ONLY do irreversible and irreparable negative political, economic, social and military damages a million times more than Egypt to the very existence of Ethiopia.
Egypt has always been there, will always be there, is one of the birth place of human civilizations and will always remain as our neighbors in GOOD much more than in BAD.
So, let us put and calibrate the positive and the right change clocks right in there, in ourselves before we try to change Egypt’s behavior using that stupid Chinese card.
If what we are truly and honestly desiring is change for the better world both for ourselves and our wretched Ethiopians, why didn’t we as Ethiopians even raise our small finger for sustainably struggling to bring about democracy, good governance and justice for all, when Wayane robbed 100% of Ethiopian voices in the recent defunct election?
Hollow bragging, chest pumping empty propaganda and swan songs of “a cake in the sky” varieties of no practical values are so much over supplied at the complete expenses constructive practical and relevant strategies.
No, disrespect meant though. :)
I appreciate the stand taken by Mohamed Shaker el-Marqabi, especially at this time of tension on both sides. Such attitude should echo through out Egypt and make the policy makers think about various possible cooperation as African brothers instead of crying the old song of “Nile belongs to us” and we go to war, etc. But, also the “Egyptian business persons” coming to Ethiopia at this time should be closely watched to identify the true from the spy.
Thanks
Anonymous #5,
You wrote: “Islam is in Ethiopia well before Egypt.”
You are wrong! Islam came to Ethiopia during the 7th century; however, the famous Jewish Historian Herodotus records in his Antiquity, Vol. II that the Queen of Sheba was the Queen of Ethiopia and Egypt around 992 B.C. Even before that, the Egyptian Moses had a wife from Ethiopia; therefore, the presence of Egyptians in Ethiopia precedes the presence of Islam in Ethiopia.
Here we go again. I sometimes admire Meles’s mental capabilty to manipulate Ethiopians. Meles is sure now that he can’t use Eritrea to mobilize the Ethiopian people and that is why he is playing this “Nile” card. It is clear that Ethiopians, specially Amara, will be behind him. The Badme case gave him 12 years’ life and the “Nile” case will give him the same life if not longer. Let’s think critically!
Sammy:
well that is what I was thinking too!!!. Lets hope this Nile playing card it wont last 12 years LOL. However,tho I agree with you about the chiwawas mentality.The only think Meles is doing with Egypit as we speak is selling them Ethiopias ferital land.
Ethiopia is a land of muslims and christains but first they are Ethiopians.To add up ethiopian muslims to any arab population is just like mixing ethipopiamn christian to nazi christian or to the right wing of christian sect.religion is private nationatity is not.Melese likes to play this card and do not fall for it.
Germa #11,
Ethiopia is a land of Christians surrounded by the late-comers – the Ethiopian Arab Muslims, so I want you to correct your faulty statements about the Christian land of Ethiopia. The reason you have been saying that Ethiopia is the land of Muslims is that you want to have a new status, a new history, and a new name for your corrupt religion – Islam, a scum. Islam will never have a profound and a meaningful name because its originator was a corrupt person, a person who refused to admit he was a sinner, and his followers still worship him as a sinless prophet, ignoring that he was a fornicator, a child molester, a slave holder, and a master of deception. One day, the world will realize that it has been deceived by the false Prophet Muhammad and will ask forgiveness from the merciful Lord, Jesus Christ, our Savior and our Eternal God.
Assta B. Gettu
Ethiopian as people of “intelligent brains,” noting that “most of them have received their education at western universities.” The only reason I like the Jews because the crap Muslims God made them for each other . Egypt live on donated money from the good old USA they are one coward nation they got beat down by six hours war we wiped their ass sometimes 1800 too .
islam reached ethiopia before it reached egypt, that is true.
In fact,Ethiopia is the 2nd country that has harboured mulims, and the first one that has officially (by the voice of it’s king) accepted Islam as an honorable religion.
Know your history people, Ethiopia, has a deep link with Islam.You should refrain to borrow the modern day anti-islamic rethoric from others:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migration_to_Abyssinia
Try to have an independant mind.
China’s rise to be powerhouse in the world is upseting many nations, they should realize the equilbrium of power is changing and one has to be aware of that fact and start being smart and get in the program or be stupid and be left on the side. Africa’s resources are being contended by American business enterprises and Russian enterprises, but the Chinese enterprises followed by India will win.
The only thing these so called ‘investment firms’ do is spying.