A memorandum of understanding between China and Egypt is expected to be signed on Saturday, with the aim of developing a cooperative network for technology transfers, top scientists in China and foreign representatives said.

Joint laboratories, platforms and institutions will be created to facilitate transfers that suit local needs and promote cultural understanding, they said.

China has strategic relationships with eight Arab countries, many of which are situated in areas of the Belt and Road Initiative, said Pan Jiaofeng, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institutes of Science and Development.

"Apart from our long-standing friendship, Arab countries also have valuable technologies and market opportunities that complement China," he said. "We have to use both policy and market forces - combined with cultural understanding - to overcome the current obstacles and find out exactly how our technologies can benefit each other."

Hussein Ibrahim, a counselor at the Egyptian embassy in Beijing, said Cairo will sign a technology transfer memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Science and Technology on Saturday, the day before the start of the Belt and Road Forum.

Zhang Zhihao