SCIO press conference on white paper 'A Global Community of Shared Future: China's Proposals and Actions'
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E-mail China.org.cn, September 29, 2023
Phoenix Satellite Television:
We've noticed that recently, a batch of overseas cooperation projects has been completed and put into operation, receiving widespread acclaim from people in the related countries and regions. Can you tell us about the progress of China's overseas cooperation projects over the past decade? What roles have they played in promoting local economic and social development? What are the next steps to further promote overseas project cooperation? Thank you.
Cong Liang:
Over the past 10 years, we have adhered to Belt and Road cooperation as the main focus, followed market principles and international practices, given full play to the main role of enterprises, and jointly made positive progress in overseas cooperation projects. For example, the China-Laos Railway has been operating safely and stably for 21 months, handling more than 20.9 million passenger trips and transporting more than 25.36 million metric tons of cargo, and has been connected with the China-Europe Railway Express. Another example is the opening of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway , which makes travel more convenient for more and more Indonesian residents and will greatly unleash local economic development potential. For another example, with investment from China Ocean Shipping Company, the cargo handling capacity of the Piraeus port in Greece increased from 880,000 TEUs in 2010 to over 5 million TEUs in 2022, and its comprehensive indicators returned to the top 10 shipping hubs in the world. For another example, since the launch of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the Karakoram Highway Phase Two project has been progressing smoothly, and significant progress has been made in the joint construction of Gwadar Port. At the same time, we have jointly built hospitals, schools, water supply facilities and other livelihood projects with various countries, which have also been widely welcomed by local people.
Overseas cooperation projects have brought effective investment to host countries, promoted economic growth, spread technologies, created jobs and improved people's living standards. For example, the China-Laos Railway project has provided employment for 110,000 people in Laos, helped locals build nearly 2,000 kilometers of roads and canals, and trained a large number of technical and management professionals. For another example, Chinese investment in the Piraeus port in Greece has created 13,000 jobs and directly contributed 300 million euros to the local economy every year. For another example, the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has laid a solid foundation for Pakistan's infrastructure connectivity and industrialization, and directly created 155,000 jobs for local people. At the same time, China has signed third-market cooperation documents with 14 countries to jointly promote the development of industries and improve people's livelihoods in third countries.
Going forward, the NDRC will continue working with relevant departments to strengthen policy, mechanism and project docking with relevant authorities of the countries we cooperate with, adhering to Belt and Road cooperation as the main focus, upholding extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefits, and pursuing high-standard cooperation to promote sustainable development and improve people's lives in the process. Continuous efforts will be made to build high-quality landmark projects and promote "small but beautiful" projects, and to deepen cooperation in key areas such as infrastructure and people's livelihood projects. We aim to achieve complementarity of strengths and win-win results so that the results of cooperation can better benefit the people of all relevant countries. Thank you.
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