A section of the China-Laos Railway.
An aerial view of the Mauritania fishing harbor.
Since the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was proposed 10 years ago, POWERCHINA has been working to promote the interconnectivity of infrastructure. A series of projects built by POWERCHINA, including the China-Laos Railway, Jakarta-Bandung High-speed Railway in Indonesia and the Hong Kong International Airport Third Runway, has brought the people and countries involved in the BRI closer together.
As an integral part of the Trans-Asian Railway network, the Laos section of the China-Laos Railway was completed and put into operation in 2021. POWERCHINA invested in and helped construct the 165-kilometer railway section in Laos, including the construction of embankments, bridges, and tunnels.
Throughout the construction process, POWERCHINA overcame the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensured the timely opening of the railway. This accomplishment has paved the way for a "Steel Silk Road" in the only landlocked country in mainland Southeast Asia.
Now, the Laos Railway connects with the Chinese railway network in the north and extends southward through the Vientiane South Railway Station to connect with the Thai railway, transforming Laos from a "landlocked country" into a "land-linked country."
Since the opening of the China-Laos Railway 18 months ago, it has facilitated the transportation of 16.4 million passengers and 21 million metric tons of cargo, achieving significant economic and social benefits.
In Europe, Poland has served as a crucial node in the China-Europe Railway and a major gateway for the three main routes of the China-Europe freight trains —West, Central, and East.
In 2020, a consortium consisting of POWERCHINA and Poland Intercor Co successfully won the bid to restore the E75 railway section from Chorzow to Bialystok in Poland. The consortium is responsible for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of a 71-kilometer double-track railway, along with five major stations and associated facilities.
Once completed, the project will allow fora maximum operating speed of 200 kilometers per hour, significantly contributing to the improvement of Poland's railway infrastructure and enhancing the efficiency of China-Europe freight train transportation.
POWERCHINA also helped turn Hong Kong from a "city with an airport" into a "city powered by its airport".
Since it began operating in 1998, Hong Kong International Airport has been one of the most crowded airports in the world. The increasing number of aircraft taking offand landing each year, which overwhelmed the original two-runway system , led to the construction of a third runway.
In 2022, the third runway, constructed by POWERCHINA, officially opened, doubling the airport's passenger and cargo capacity and consolidating Hong Kong's status as an international aviation hub.
In addition to the physical inter-connectivityof infrastructure, POWERCHINAhas actively promoted Chinese standards during the construction process to facilitate "soft inter-connectivity".
The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway is the first high-speed railway in Southeast Asia, utilizing Chinese technology, standards, and equipment. It serves as an exemplary project in which the complete system, all elements, and the entire Chinese high-speed rail industrial chain have been implemented overseas for the first time.
Similarly, the China-Laos Railway is another project where Chinese technology standards and equipment are being employed throughout the entire process. With Chinese standards, materials, and equipment, the railway is jointly operated by China and Laos, serving as a vital international corridor connecting the two countries and benefiting neighboring regions.
There's no doubt that the completion of these pieces of infrastructure has significantly promoted local economic and social development.
The Mauritania fishing harbor, completed in 2018, is the country's only industrial park centered on a dedicated port for the fishing industry, creating favorable conditions for the development of local fisheries. According to statistics, the port's trading volume is approximately 300,000 tons per year, accounting for 37.5 percent of the country's annual fisheries production.
Furthermore, during the construction process, POWERCHINA provided jobs for local residents and offered them training. The port has created around 46,600 jobs in fisheries trading for the local population, representing over 85 percent of the entire workforce in the fisheries sector.
Over the past decade, POWERCHINA's overseas transportation business has made significant progress. In 2022, it ranked among the top 10 international contractors in the transportation sector according to Engineering News-Record, an authoritative academic journal in the global engineering and construction field. Its transportation business spans 72 countries and regions across five continents, covering various fields such as roads, railways, airports, ports, and communications, providing high-quality transportation infrastructure for countries involved in the BRI.
