Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, December 2 International observation | “Big infrastructure” and “Small and beautiful” – the construction of the “the Belt and Road” benefits the economic development and livelihood of developing countries
Over the past 10 years, the joint construction of the “the Belt and Road” has entered a high-quality development stage of intensive cultivation. From promoting “large infrastructure” projects to focusing on “small and beautiful” cooperation, it has vigorously promoted the infrastructure construction of participating countries, especially developing countries, and constantly improved the happiness and sense of gain of local people.
The ‘big infrastructure’ connects the mainland and the sea
This means the beginning of a ‘different era’, “said Daniel Mourat, Minister of Labor and Employment Promotion of Peru, when it comes to the newly built and opened Qiankai Port.
On November 14th, intelligent equipment was used to lift containers at the Qiankai Port north of Lima, the capital of Peru. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Mengxin
On November 14th local time, the opening ceremony of Qiankai Port in Peru was held. The Qiankai Port Phase I project can shorten the sea freight time from Peru to China from nearly 40 days to 23 days, saving more than 20% of logistics costs. The project not only brings abundant economic income and creates a large number of direct employment opportunities for Peru, but also effectively consolidates Peru’s gateway position connecting land and sea, Asia and Latin America, and drives the overall development and integration construction of Latin America and the Caribbean region.
Qiankaigang is a microcosm of high-quality joint construction of the “the Belt and Road”. For more than 10 years, the “the Belt and Road” has cooperated to build “heart to heart bridges”, “development belts”, “prosperous ports”, and “happy roads”, promoting connectivity in multiple fields, sketching new blueprints for cooperation connecting the mainland and the sea, and achieving tangible and profound achievements.
In Kenya, the construction and operation of the Mombasa Nairobi Railway promote regional economic and trade development, and drive the modernization process of cities along the route; In Greece, the ancient port of Piraeus has been given new vitality, from being on the brink of bankruptcy to becoming the fastest-growing container port in the world; In Laos, the China Laos railway has broken through the barrier of mountains, “turning a land locked country into a land linked country”; In Belarus, the construction of the China Belarus Industrial Park has brought a modern industrial park to the local area; The China Europe freight train, which spans across the Eurasian continent, connects points into a line and weaves lines into a network, with a total of over 100000 trains running, reaching 227 cities in 25 European countries and over 100 cities in 11 Asian countries
Hert Grobler, a former senior diplomat of South Africa, said that high-quality joint construction of the “the Belt and Road” will help achieve broader regional connectivity and promote broader cooperation. The “the Belt and Road” infrastructure project has created conditions for developing countries in Africa and other regions to achieve connectivity, effectively improved trade and employment, and made great contributions to the transformation of developing economies.
‘Small and Beautiful’ Writing Hope and Aspiration
In the past, this was a dry desert where not a single blade of grass grew. Now, under the irrigation of well water, crops such as wheat are thriving, full of vitality and hope. In Aswan Province, Egypt, the green wheat under the scorching desert sun forms a fascinating natural landscape.
Ahmed Sadani, Deputy Manager of the Aswan Water Well Project at Zhongman Egypt Company, proudly told reporters that his water well construction team has overcome difficulties and helped Egypt drill more than 540 desert water wells over the past 8 years, giving barren deserts the opportunity to become fertile land. Every time we see clear groundwater gushing out, my colleagues and I are very excited
Our lives will become better. “Speaking of the Maban Railway being built by Chinese companies in the Ensanje region of Malawi, a landlocked African country, local tribal chief Chimombo was very excited. Railways greatly shorten the commuting distance between tribal areas and cities, increase the income level of local people, and cultivate a large number of professional and technical talents, giving young people more aspirations for the future.
On November 8th, trainees from Tengani Community Technical College attended training at the project site in Ensanje, Malawi. Xinhua News Agency (provided by China Railway 20th Bureau)
Joey, a local youth who has been working in a Chinese company for many years, told reporters that she learned measurement technology and grew from a technical novice to a measurement team leader, managing a small measurement team. Through hard work, our whole family moved into the newly built house and started a new life
As the high-quality co construction of the “the Belt and Road” goes deeper and deeper, a large number of “small and beautiful” projects focusing on the needs of the people have also taken root, benefiting people’s livelihood and reaching the people’s hearts. Whether it’s the desert wheat fields in Egypt, young technicians in Malawi, or projects such as sewage treatment plants, solar power plants, hybrid rice, and mushroom grass in many developing countries, the “Small and Beautiful” project is truly improving the well-being of local people.
“I believe that the high-quality co construction of the the Belt and Road is shaping the future.” Dennis Munerne, Executive Director of the Central Africa Center of the Kenya African Policy Research Institute, told reporters that the “the Belt and Road” is changing the development trajectory of countries in the global South, not only promoting trade and cultural exchanges, but also allowing ordinary people to enjoy the development dividend.
Aggregate strength for development and prosperity together
In Argentina, the Gaocharui 300 MW photovoltaic power generation project is one of the largest photovoltaic projects in Latin America. During the construction process, the project provided about 1500 job opportunities, and after operation, it brings about $50 million in annual revenue to the local government, indirectly promoting the development of the local medicinal processing industry and tourism.
This is a drone photo taken on May 11, 2020 of the 300 MW photovoltaic power generation project in Gaochari, Argentina. Xinhua News Agency (photo provided by the project department)
Many developing countries have completed or started some development projects that were difficult to promote in the past after participating in the high-quality co construction of the “the Belt and Road”, including the Gaocharui PV power generation project.
For this phenomenon, according to the analysis of Jos é Maria Recciale Bianio, a professor at the National University of Cordoba in Argentina, the significance of high-quality co construction of the “the Belt and Road” is to help the southern countries of the world solve the “long-standing problem” of difficult access to credit financing, and recover the construction cost through project operation to better benefit ordinary people.
Andrei Ostrovsky, chief researcher of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said that China has promoted the establishment of financial institutions such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the the Silk Road Fund to pool resources and strength and create better conditions for the implementation of relevant projects within the framework of the “the Belt and Road”.
Jonathan Matos, a law lecturer at the Federal University of Fluminense in Brazil, told reporters that the financing methods of some international cooperation projects in the past often had additional conditions, such as requiring the fund recipient to accept requirements that did not conform to the local actual situation, which would exacerbate the inequality between rich and poor countries. The high-quality co construction of the “the Belt and Road” is based on the medium and long-term project cooperation mechanism, and its financing mode fully considers the specific conditions of relevant countries, which is more sustainable and can bring real help.
This is a drone photo taken of the Karot Hydroelectric Power Station in Punjab Province, Pakistan on June 22, 2022. Xinhua News Agency (photo provided by China Three Gorges Corporation)
At the same time, the joint construction of the “the Belt and Road” attaches great importance to the strategic docking of all participants, and seeks the greatest common denominator for common development, especially strengthening cooperation in green transformation, digital economy and other fields.
Suai Nihan Achekaren, an international scholar at Haji Bahram Veli University in Ankara, Türkiye, told reporters that Türkiye has actively promoted the docking of its own development strategy with the joint construction of the “the Belt and Road” in recent years, especially the green development concept upheld by the joint construction of the “the Belt and Road” is highly consistent with Türkiye’s green energy development strategy.
In his book The Silk Road: A New World History, British historian Peter Frankpan said: “The Silk Road has shaped the world of the past, even the world of today, and will also shape the world of the future.” With the high-quality co construction of the “the Belt and Road” and the continued commitment to high standards, people’s well-being, and sustainable cooperation projects, China will work with developing countries around the world to create more new development achievements and open up opportunities for future global development and prosperity.