Sherif Fathy, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, today witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Supreme Council of Antiquities of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the National Center for Archaeology of the People's Republic of China in the field of maritime archaeology and underwater cultural heritage, at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, as part of the Underwater Cultural Heritage events that began yesterday and ran over August 20 and 21 this month.
The memorandum was signed by Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, and Tang Wei, Director General of the National Center for Archaeology of the People's Republic of China.
The Minister of Tourism and Antiquities welcomed the cooperation, describing it as an important step toward strengthening international partnerships in preserving underwater cultural heritage. He stressed that the step reflects the Egyptian state's keenness to benefit from international expertise and exchange knowledge with leading institutions, especially China, with which Egypt shares long-standing historical relations and civilizational ties, the two countries being among the oldest civilizations in the world.
Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled explained that the memorandum aims to strengthen cooperation and comprehensive exchange between the two sides in the fields of maritime archaeology and the protection of underwater cultural heritage, as well as to facilitate joint research, cultural exchange and educational programs.
For his part, Tang Wei expressed his delight at signing the memorandum, describing it as a new beginning for cooperation between Egypt and China in the field of cultural heritage and a living practice of civilizational dialogue and the exchange of expertise between the Egyptian and Chinese civilizations.
Under the memorandum, the two sides will cooperate in establishing the Egyptian-Chinese Center for Maritime Archaeology and Underwater Cultural Heritage (ECCMAUCH) in Alexandria, with a dedicated hall to display artifacts and scientific achievements in this field in both countries. Areas of joint cooperation will also include implementing research and scientific projects, organizing forums and scientific events, exchanging information and research, as well as training and capacity-building programs for archaeologists, restorers and researchers. Joint temporary exhibitions will also be organized to display artifacts recovered from the depths of the water, along with presenting the results of excavations and maritime archaeological research in the two countries.
The signing ceremony was attended by Yomna El-Bahar, Deputy Minister of Tourism and Antiquities; Eng. Ahmed Youssef, CEO of the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Authority; Dr. Mohamed Soliman, Deputy Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina; Dr. Hisham El-Leithy, Head of the Antiquities Conservation and Registration Sector; and Dr. Ahmed Rahima, Assistant Minister for Human Resource Development and Supervisor of the ministry's Central Training Unit.
