[Photo provided to China Daily]

The institute in the Suez Canal University attracts not only students who want to learn Chinese, but also students from science and other fields. Over the past three years, the institute started to receive students from faculties such as engineering, medicine, science, antiquities and law, says Ragab.

The Chinese government offers scholarships to help Egyptian students, he says, noting that Egypt ranks third in the number of scholarships offered by China.

The Confucius Institute is not only about language. Many Chinese companies in Egypt turn to it for hiring Chinese-speaking employees, according to the director.

In 2017, the Confucius Institute held a Chinese Companies Recruitment Day to help its students find jobs. And, as a result, almost 200 Egyptian students were hired.

There are around 20 Chinese companies functioning in the Suez Canal Economics Zone in the Ain Sokhna district in Ismailia province, where TEDA is located.

These companies have created many opportunities for the local people, and those who speak Chinese have an obvious advantage over the others in securing a job.