China Deepens Energy Footprint in Africa as United Energy Acquires Egypt’s Apex International

China’s expanding influence in Africa’s resource sector took another major step forward as United Energy Group (UEG) announced its full acquisition of Apex International Energy’s upstream oil and gas operations in Egypt on February 9, 2025.

Under the deal, United Energy (MENA), UEG’s regional subsidiary will assume ownership of eight onshore concessions in Egypt’s Western Desert, spanning more than 3,500 square kilometers. Apex, an Egypt-focused U.S. company, produced over 11,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) in 2024.

The acquisition boosts UEG’s total production in Egypt to nearly 39,000 boe/d, elevating the Chinese firm into the top ten oil and gas producers in the North African country. Egypt’s government has already approved the consolidation of several Apex concession agreements to enhance fiscal conditions and attract additional foreign capital.

Analysts see the move as part of Beijing’s strategic campaign to secure long-term access to African energy reserves, building on Chinese state and private investments stretching from Angola and Nigeria’s oilfields to Zambia’s copper mines and Namibia’s lithium deposits.

For Egypt, the deal reinforces its position as a regional energy hub, while for China, it marks another decisive gain in the global competition for Africa’s natural resources; a contest increasingly defined by economic leverage rather than political rhetoric.