State Capitalism and Sino-Egyptian Urban Development

Following the inception of the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, in 2017, the Egyptian government entered into a bilateral collaboration with China. This Sino-Egyptian collaboration entails several infrastructure projects in Egypt, including light railways, and the construction of skyscrapers as part of new mega-projects. These economic changes in Egypt came about due to the political decisions made by the new militarized regime, four years after the 2013 coup. These political shifts entailed the deepening of the state’s role in the Egyptian political economy. In this paper, I explain the urban development projects supported by the Sino-Egyptian bilateral collaboration. I examine the nature of the agreement and how it contributes to the Egyptian economy: do urban development projects contribute to state capitalism in Egypt, or not?