China Weekly (Egypt)
Established in 2012 as the sole Chinese-founded publication in the Middle East with official registration under Egypt’s General News Authority, China Weekly Egypt publishes in both Chinese and Arabic. The newspaper focuses on Chinese politics, economics, culture, and sports while featuring a special section on “Chinese in Egypt.” Led by director Ma Qiang (马强) since its founding, the publication produced a “Friendship Special Edition” during Xi Jinping’s 2016 Egypt visit. The newspaper appears connected to China News Service (CNS)—an official state news wire under the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party—based on content analysis and frequent cross-posting to CNS websites. Despite initially achieving financial break-even and expanding to Sudan and Jordan, Ma Qiang told the CCP’s official People’s Daily in 2013, political turmoil in Egypt dramatically reduced the Chinese population from 50,000 to 8,000, challenging the paper’s survival. Ma led the Egypt media delegation to China in October 2024, where he received the PRC flag during a formal welcome ceremony attended by top propaganda officials and CNS leader Tang Weijie (唐伟杰).
