From the Central business District of Egypt's new administrative capital to Dubai's Hasyan Power station, from Algeria's North-South highway to Qatar's main World Cup stadium, the Belt and Road Initiative has witnessed fruitful cooperation between China and Arab countries.

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As the first light of the morning falls on the construction site of the tallest building in Africa, the construction site of the Central Business district of Egypt's new administrative capital comes to life after a night of silence. Yan Yueping after the department morning, and began a busy day of security inspection work.

Yan Yueping, 26, is a security engineer at the Egypt branch of China State Construction Corp., the builder of the central business district project in Egypt's new administrative capital. Located about 50 kilometers east of Cairo, the project covers a total area of 505,000 square meters, consisting of 20 high-rise buildings and supporting municipal works. One of the most eye-catching projects is the "Landmark Tower", the highest point of the tower 385.8 meters, known as the "highest building in Africa", also by the Egyptian Prime Minister Madbouly affectionately referred to as Egypt's "new pyramid".

While working on the project site for more than a year, Yan has witnessed many moments when the "tallest building in Africa" rises in the desert. As a safety engineer, his job is to "check the pulse" of the tower inside and out, and make sure it "grows" safely. Every day, from the podium to the tower, he went to almost every corner of the construction site, conducted detailed checks on high work, large equipment, fire control, temporary electricity consumption, etc., corrected illegal work and eliminated safety risks.

Many Chinese builders like Yan Yueping have won a reputation for China in Arab countries, making "China construction" synonymous with high quality.

About an hour's drive south of Algiers, the Algerian capital, the towering Atlas Mountains stand out above a sign that reads "One Road, One Dream" in Chinese and French. It is the site of Algeria's longest road tunnel and longest road bridge on the Shifa section of the North-South highway, which was built by China State Construction Corporation Limited (China State Construction Corporation).

Bahut, a taxi driver, often takes passengers on the highway, which links the cities of Medya and Blida. He is full of praise for the highway, especially the 4.8-kilometer-long tunnel, which he calls a "work of art". Before the opening of the section, due to poor road conditions, it took one and a half hours to drive from Media to Blida, or even three hours in winter. After the opening of the section, the travel time has been greatly reduced to half an hour. "More trips a day, much higher income!" Bakhut could not hide his delight.

An "accelerator" for local development

The Belt and Road projects have brought tangible benefits to local people.

China-egypt · Teda Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone (Teda Cooperation Zone) is one of the industrial parks with the best comprehensive environment, the highest investment density and the highest output per unit in Egypt. So far, it has formed four leading industrial clusters of new building materials, petroleum equipment, high and low voltage equipment and machinery manufacturing. It has successfully attracted more than 130 enterprises and directly employed more than 4,000 people. Related industries created about 50,000 jobs.

The Mutla Housing infrastructure construction project, one of the key livelihood projects of China's Belt and Road Initiative and Kuwait's National Vision 2035, started in April 2017. Thousands of Chinese and foreign employees of the Mutla Housing Infrastructure Construction Project Department of China National Construction Gezhouba Group worked for nearly four years to overcome difficulties such as difficult construction conditions and the epidemic, and transferred the entire project to Kuwait in two batches in 2020 and 2021, which helped improve the economy and people's livelihood in Kuwait during the epidemic.

The Red Sea New City project in Saudi Arabia is the largest energy storage project in the world so far. It takes "photovoltaic + energy storage" as an energy solution to achieve 100% carbon neutrality, which is of strategic significance and demonstration effect for the development of the global energy storage industry. Huawei Digital Energy Technology Co., Ltd. and Shandong Electric Power Construction No. 3 Engineering Co., Ltd. signed a contract on the project, which will help Saudi Arabia build a global hub of clean energy and green economy. Currently, the project is in the design and construction phase.

The Hasyan Power Station project in Dubai is a key project of the Belt and Road cooperation between China and the United Arab Emirates. It is also the first power station project invested, constructed and operated by Chinese enterprises in the Middle East. It is expected to be fully put into commercial operation in 2023.

The $8.6 billion China-Shayanbu refinery, a joint venture between Sinopec and Saudi Aramco, has seen rapid development since it started production on Jan 20, 2016. It earned $1.15 billion between January and August.

The "heart-to-heart lock" to enhance China-Arab Friendship

Many Arab countries have printed the achievements of China-Arab cooperation on their own banknotes or commemorative notes, bringing China-Arab friendship to life: The Grand Mosque of Gama in Algeria built by a Chinese company, the largest cable-stayed bridge in Africa -- King Mohammed VI Bridge in Morocco built by a Chinese company, Algeria's first communications satellite developed and launched by China, three DAMS and hydropower stations in Sudan built and rebuilt by a Chinese company, and the main stadium of the World Cup, Qatar's Lussel Stadium, designed and built by a Chinese company.

In the cooperation projects, China has not only acted as a builder and investor, but also as a teacher and trainer of technology and management experience, as well as a transmitter of friendship.

"The tallest building in Africa" foundation floor is the largest single building foundation floor in the Middle East and Africa. During the construction process, the project team introduced Chinese "chute" technology to make the pouring process safe and efficient, and set several records such as the fastest pouring of super large foundation plate and the largest concrete pouring volume in a single day.

Teda Cooperation Zone has trained and exported a number of professional and technical workers and business managers to Egypt. With the help of the China International Development Cooperation Agency's plan to build technical schools in Egypt Special Zone, Teda Cooperation Zone has successfully promoted the establishment of a technical training center in the zone to train technical talents for the local people.

The Belt and Road Initiative also promotes closer people-to-people ties between China and Arab countries. During traditional Chinese festivals, such as the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Spring Festival, the Chinese side of the Belt and Road project carries out celebration and sympathy activities, which not only let the Chinese staff feel the warmth of the collective, but also show the charm of Chinese culture to the local staff. During traditional Muslim festivals such as Ramadan and Eid al-Adha, Chinese employees also enjoy holidays with local employees, share food and carry out charity activities.

"My relationship with my Chinese colleagues is more like family and friends than just a working relationship. They have taught me about China's magnificent rivers and mountains and its long and splendid culture." Bahrain Sitra East affordable housing project contractor China Group Bahrain company local staff Mohammed said said.

Source: State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council