CAIRO－At a vast exhibition center on the outskirts of the Egyptian capital Cairo, several Chinese pharmaceutical and medical companies have drawn the interests of visitors who were seeking business opportunities in one of the largest medical exhibitions and conferences in Africa.

The Africa Health ExCon, which was held from Sunday to Tuesday, featured various products including vaccines, medicine and medical equipment, and hosted some 350 companies from over 100 countries.

Among the firms participating in the event was China's biopharmaceutical company Sinovac, which jointly produces COVID-19 vaccines with Egypt's state-owned vaccine producer VACSERA.

"Sinovac is here to show our services, present our portfolio and also to show our interest in business collaboration with local partners and introduce more Chinese pharmaceutical products, including vaccines, to Egypt and other African and Middle East countries," said Zhang Qichao, Sinovac's senior director of international business in Africa and the Middle East.

Through "successful cooperation" with VACSERA, China is helping Egypt become a hub for vaccine production and distribution in Africa and the Middle East, Zhang told Xinhua News Agency.

Sinovac's booth attracted many visitors from Egypt and other African states during the three-day event.

Egyptian pharmacist Essam Halim Demetrios was one such visitor, showing interest in establishing cooperation between Sinovac and his pharmaceutical company in Egypt.

'Broad cooperation'

"We can cooperate with Chinese pharmaceutical companies in the fields of marketing, manufacturing, import, etc. We will see! We are open to all kinds of cooperation with Chinese firms," Demetrios said.

"As a pharmacist, I see very good potential for Chinese companies to be present in our markets like European companies, which take a large share in the markets of Egypt and the GCC(Gulf Cooperation Council) countries."

At another booth, Chinese firm Mindray displayed various medical imaging devices, including fixed and hand-carried diagnostic ultrasound systems.

Liang Zhifeng, general manager of Mindray's international sales and marketing in Egypt and North Africa, said the company started business in Egypt a long time ago.

"We offer a very big product portfolio in Egypt including medical imaging systems and diagnostic laboratory solutions for operation rooms, intensive care units and emergency departments," Liang said.

Omar Abdel-Aziz, director of the Egyptian Authority for Unified Procurement's technical bureau, said the medical exhibition aimed to gather all players in the medical field to discuss challenges, solutions and partnership opportunities.

Xinhua