For the past decade, with the extensive cooperation of BRI countries, a comprehensive three-dimensional infrastructure network consisting of railways, highways, waterways, aviation, oil and gas pipelines, transmission lines, and communication networks has spanned mountains and seas globally, connected and realized the happiness dreams of people in many countries around the world, and built a path of opportunity for countries around the world to achieve common prosperity.
On this commemorative banknote specifically issued by Bangladesh for the opening of the Padma Bridge, a line of words is prominently printed: a symbol of national pride. This bridge is the pride of all Bangladeshis, and for Anis, a native of Bangladesh, he also has a special attachment to it because he participated in the construction of the bridge.
According to Anis, Bangladeshi Employee of the Padma Bridge Construction Party, it's really convenient to have this bridge now. In the past, they basically relied on ferries to cross the river, and queuing alone would take over three hours. Ferry services were suspended during the rainy season.
Anis was born on the south bank of the Padma River, and from memory onwards, he has always admired the bustling traffic on the other side of the river. But for thousands of years, crossing the river has only been possible by ferry. Due to inconvenient transportation, the prosperity of the capital has never shone on the 21 districts on the southwest bank of the Padma River.
Building a bridge has become the dream and expectation of young Anis. In 2000, 17-year-old Anis heard that a Chinese bridge building company had arrived in Bangladesh. With his driving skills, he became an employee of the China Railway Bridge Bureau, and this work lasted for 23 years.
Anis said that this job has changed his fate. He participated in the construction of nearly 10 bridges in Bangladesh completed by China Railway Bridge Bureau. Initially, he was a driver, but later learned Chinese, English, and management from his colleagues. He’s now managing employees in Bangladesh.
During his more than 20 years of working at China Railway Bridge Bureau, Anis deeply felt that building a bridge on the Padma River was an almost impossible task due to the constraints of complex climate and geological conditions.
In 2014, when he learned that China Railway Bridge Bureau stood out from more than 40 companies around the world and won the bid for the construction of the Padma Bridge, Anis wasted no time to apply to join the project. In the following eight years, Anis witnessed the bridge from scratch and difficulties overcome by the builders. He was deeply impressed by the Chinese people's skill and dedication in building bridges.
“Building a bridge under the very complex geological conditions of the Padma River with ultra fine sand is as difficult as inserting steel bars on tofu. In order to secure these bridge piers, the total length of the piles reached 120 meters, with 80 meters buried in the soil. We have completed more than 3000 lifts of over 200 tons for the entire bridge, and more than 700 concrete placements on water. We have used the world's most advanced 5 hydraulic pile hammers to complete them,” said Li Jinyu, Assistant Project Manager of Padma Bridge Construction Company.
The road bridge of the Padma Bridge was opened in 2022, and the railway connecting the capital city of Dhaka and Jessol, the southwestern commercial center city, is about to open to become an important channel connecting China and Southeast Asia's "Pan Asian Railway".
Ahmd Zamiul Islam, Military Supervision Project Manager, Division 1 of the Padma Connection Line Project in Bangladesh, said that when the railway opened to traffic, the travel time from Dhaka to Jessol in the south will be reduced from 10 hours to 2 hours, and the main passenger and freight transportation routes between the east and west of Bangladesh will be accelerated, which is expected to drive 1.5% of GDP growth. Thanks to "the Belt and Road" and Chinese enterprises for their efforts.
In Egypt, the first electrified railway constructed by a Chinese enterprise winds through the rolling yellow sand, and the speeding trains are like a silver ribbon, connecting important cities in the "capital circle" such as Cairo, the new administrative capital, and the city of Ramadan.
Assistant Sima from the maintenance department of the light rail said that the construction of this railway, from network line installation to rail vehicle operation, completely adopts China's standard system, so it was officially put into operation in just two years. This railway has shortened the spatial and temporal distance of cities, connecting satellite cities, leading to the emergence of economic integration in the Nile Delta.
At the other end of the African continent, Zimbabwe has also taken the "the Belt and Road" express. On July 14th, in the presence of the country's president and tens of thousands of people, the new terminal of Mugabe International Airport in the capital Harare was put into operation.
Emerson Mnangaguwa, President of Zimbabwe expressed his thanks to China for its long-term support of infrastructure construction in Zimbabwe. The modernization of the airport has reached international standards, and Zhongjiang International Group has successfully completed this project.
Taku, the weak current engineer who designed the monitoring system for the airport, felt very lucky. After returning from studying in Ningbo, China, he joined Zhongjiang Group from Jiangsu Province. The first task he participated in was the national project of "the Belt and Road" cooperation between China and Zimbabwe.
Over 1000 days and nights of working together with Chinese builders have allowed Taku to grow from a novice young man to an independent engineer.
Taku, Weak Current Engineer of Zhongjiang International Zimbabwe Company, said that he’s glad that the knowledge he’s learned in China can be put to use.
“The steel structures and curtain walls we see now are relatively mature in China, and the roof also adopts many lighting roofs. During the day, there is no need to turn on lights indoors, which meets our energy-saving requirements,” said Wei Wei, Deputy General Manager of Zhongjiang International Overseas Engineering Branch 1 and Manager of Zimbabwe Company.
With the renovation and expansion, Mugabe International Airport has increased its annual passenger reception capacity from 2.5 million to 6 million people, and more and more airlines have opened direct routes as a result.
The ancient and rugged Maasai tribe, African lions, African elephants, black rhinos, African leopards, and African water buffalo inhabit the African savannah and the passionate and mysterious Sahara Desert, attracting tourists and investments from around the world to explore this mysterious place of human origin.
“Zimbabwe seeks to become amid upper income economy by 2030, and air transportation is crucial for achieving this vision. We hope to see more air routes achieve connectivity, promote tourism, cultural and commercial exchanges, increase investment opportunities, further promote openness and market connectivity, promote international trade development, and connect our industry with the global supply chain,” said Felix Tapiwa Mhona, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development in Zimbabwe.
In the past decade, with the promotion of "the Belt and Road" initiative, the main framework of "six corridors, six roads, multi countries and multi ports" connectivity has basically taken shape. The "six roads" of railways, highways, shipping, aviation, pipelines, and spatial comprehensive information networks have opened up six major "international economic cooperation corridors".
To the west, the three corridors of the New Eurasian Continental Bridge, China-Mongolia-Russia, and China-Central Asia-West Asia will build an efficient and unobstructed Eurasian market. To the south, the three corridors of China-Indochina Peninsula, China-Pakistan, and Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar will connect the most densely populated regions in the world, creating opportunities for global win-win and prosperity.
According to the World Bank's estimation, the implementation of all relevant transportation projects under "the Belt and Road" framework alone is expected to increase the global income by 0.7% to 2.9% by 2030.
More and more people have reached a consensus that under the influence of "the Belt and Road" initiative, the world's development pattern is gradually changing from "geography determines destiny" to "connectivity determines destiny". "The Belt and Road" initiative is creating more globalization beneficiary groups in a larger geographical scope. This plan, originating from China and benefiting the world, will open up more space for economic growth in various countries and the world, and make new and greater contributions to building a community with a shared future for mankind.
