Belt and Road Initiative's infrastructure projects improving lives abroad

Under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, China and various involved countries have continuously advanced global interconnectivity. A series of major infrastructure projects have taken root worldwide, supporting the dreams of people for prosperity and development while injecting fresh vitality into the global economy.

On April 1, 2023, the New Belgrade-Surcin section of the E-763 highway in Serbia, constructed by a Chinese enterprise, officially opened to traffic. Spanning 7.9 kilometers, this segment serves as the starting point of the highway, seamlessly connecting the urban area of Belgrade with the previously completed Surcin-Obrenovac section.

With the opening of this new segment, the total operational length of the E-763 highway has reached 140 km. This vital transport artery brings large and medium-sized cities in southwestern Serbia into the capital's one-hour economic circle. Benefiting a population of over 4 million, the highway not only facilitates convenient travel for locals, but also plays a crucial role in promoting interconnectivity and economic and trade exchanges across the entire Balkan region.

Over the past decade, Chinese enterprises have consistently offered Chinese solutions to overcome complex technical challenges in highway construction across BRI-participating countries. Through collaborative efforts, they have successfully built landmark projects such as Cambodia's first expressway and Bangladesh's first elevated expressway.

The momentum extends to rail networks. On Oct 2, 2022, the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway — the first of its kind in both Indonesia and Southeast Asia — officially commenced operations. Stretching 142 km with a maximum design speed of 350 kilometers per hour, the railway has drastically slashed travel time between Jakarta and Bandung from over three hours to just over 40 minutes now.

This transformative railway was jointly built and operated by a joint venture established by China Railway International Co Ltd and four Indonesian State-owned enterprises. As a flagship project of the BRI and a symbol of practical cooperation between China and Indonesia, builders from both nations worked in tandem over eight years, conducting comprehensive, all-element and full-system cooperation.

From the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway, East Africa's first electrified railway, to the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway, a major artery for regional interconnectivity; and from the China-Laos Railway, which transformed Laos from a landlocked country into a land-linked hub, to the Jakarta-Bandung HSR, which achieved the "fastest speed" in Southeast Asia — the past decade has seen China and partner countries pave roads of development and revitalization.

Together, they have spurred economic growth, transferred advanced technology, increased employment opportunities and improved local livelihoods, steadily marching toward common development and shared prosperity.

Aviation infrastructure has also seen remarkable progress. In 2019, the new terminal of Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, built by Chinese enterprises, officially opened. As part of the airport's expansion and upgrading project, construction of the new terminal began in 2015 and was completed after four years of dedicated efforts.

Following the terminal's successful operation, the Ethiopian government continued to invite Chinese enterprises to participate in further expansion projects, aiming to transform the airport into a premier aviation transport hub in Africa.

From New Gwadar International Airport in Pakistan to Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport in Cambodia, multiple modern airports have sprung up in BRI participating countries over the past decade, with Chinese enterprises frequently playing key roles in their investment and construction.

These achievements are microcosms of the deepening cooperation between China and BRI participating countries in the field of new infrastructure. In recent years, the overseas service networks of China's three major telecom operators have expanded to over 40 countries, paving "highways" for new digital infrastructure.

Meanwhile, enterprises such as the State Grid and China Southern Power Grid have also actively strengthened the alignment, mutual recognition and application of rules and standards with BRI participating countries. This has promoted the "going global" of Chinese technology, standards and equipment, helping to build the BRI into a road of innovation.

Andrey Ostrovsky, chief researcher at the Institute of China and Modern Asia at Russian Academy of Sciences, said the BRI proposed by China brings new development opportunities to participating countries and significantly aids global common development.

To ensure the successful implementation of the BRI, China has introduced a series of supportive policies and promoted the establishment of institutions such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Silk Road Fund.

Through this extensive cooperation, many countries have acquired vital facilities that would have been exceedingly difficult to build relying solely on their own capabilities, Ostrovsky said, adding that these projects have created excellent conditions for subsequent development and have become enduring sources of wealth for these nations.