Xi's footsteps toward SOE projects on the Silk Road

Since China proposed the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, substantial progress has been made in economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges among the countries and regions involved in the initiative. Large State-owned enterprises play an active role in advancing overseas projects in such fields as infrastructure facilities construction, energy resources development and industry capacities cooperation. Chinese President Xi Jinping has inspected landmark Chinese-built projects in the BRI-involved countries and regions over the past decade. They typify Chinese-contracted projects' contribution to the development of local economy and improvement of residents' well-being in the destination communities.

Kirchner-Cepernic Hydroelectric Project

As the largest Chinese-built overseas hydropower project and also the largest ongoing hydropower clean energy project in Argentina, the Kirchner-Cepernic Hydroelectric Project consists of two hydropower stations — NK and JC — and a 173-kilometer-long, 500-kilovolt transmission line. The total installed capacity of the power stations is 1,310 megawatts. The project is being undertaken by China Energy Engineering Group, also known as Energy China.

China-Maldives Friendship Bridge

The bridge is a significant landmark project under the framework of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. It spans across the sea, connecting the Maldivian capital, Male, with the airport island. As the construction site is located in a coral reef geological area, the technical requirements for design and construction are high. China Communications Construction Company participated in the construction of the project.

China-Thailand Railway

As a key infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative, the railway is the first modern standard-gauge high-speed railway in Thailand that adopts Chinese technology. After completion, it will connect to the China-Laos Railway and reach the eastern economic corridor in Thailand. It will also be connected to Malaysia and Singapore, forming a north-south "steel artery" in Southeast Asia. China Railway Construction Corporation is involved in its construction.

Phase I of Belgrano Cargo Railway Rehabilitation Project in Argentina

The project is executed by China Machinery Engineering Corporation and financed by Chinese financial institutions. Since completion, the project has enormously enhanced the operating speed and stability of the rolling stock, and the freight rate has been largely decreased. In 2023, the transportation volume of the Belgrano Cargo Railway has increased by 2.35 times, compared with the level prior to the rehabilitation project.

Orange Line metro project in Lahore

The Orange Line project in Lahore, Pakistan, is the country's first subway and an early-harvest project in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor under the Belt and Road Initiative. Built by China State Railway Group and China North Industries Corporation, the 27-kilometer metro line was completed in October 2020. The consortium led by NORINCO International Cooperation Ltd, affiliated with China North Industries Group, has operated the Orange Line project.

Phase II of Belo Monte UHV Project

The second phase of the Belo Monte ultrahigh voltage project, built by State Grid Corporation of China, is the world's longest ±800-kilovolt direct current transmission project. It begins from the Belo Monte hydropower plant in the Amazon River Basin and spans 81 cities in five states in Brazil, all the way to the southeastern city of Rio de Janeiro, transporting clean hydropower and benefiting 22 million people.

Beineu-Shymkent Gas Pipeline

The Beineu-Shymkent Gas Pipeline is a shining example of the connectivity of energy facilities under the Belt and Road Initiative. This pipeline was constructed and is operated by Beineu-Shymkent Gas Pipeline Limited Liability Partnership, which is jointly established by Trans-Asia Gas Pipeline Company Limited of CNPC and JSC NC QazaqGaz. Commencing from September 2013, this pipeline has increased its transmission capacity to 15 billion cubic meters per year by December 2022.

Project of the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention Headquarters Building (Phase I)

The Project of the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention Headquarters Building (Phase I) is another landmark project in China-Africa cooperation, after the African Union Conference Center. The Chinese-aided project located in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, is an important part of implementing a health care initiative within the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. China Railway Construction Corporation is involved in the project.

China-Saudi Arabia Yanbu Refinery

As the first overseas refining enterprise jointly established by Sinopec and Saudi Aramco, the project in the Yanbu Industrial City on the eastern coast of the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia uses Arabian heavy crude oil as feedstock to produce premium transportation fuels, as well as high-value refined products, for both international and domestic markets. This is a new achievement in the long-term cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia in the energy field.

PNG and China Friendship School-Butuka Academy

It is the first educational charity project that China has aided in Papua New Guinea. Funded by the Shenzhen city government and contracted by China State Construction Engineering Corporation, the project in Port Moresby, capital of Papua New Guinea, won the 2018-19 China Construction Engineering Luban Award in its overseas projects category and the 2018 Best Practice Award of APEC Energy Smart Communities Initiative.

Karot Hydropower Station

As the first large-scale hydropower project under the Belt and Road Initiative and the first hydropower investment project in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the Karot Hydropower Station, built and operated by China Three Gorges Corporation, has a total installed capacity of 720,000 kilowatts, which can meet the electricity demand of more than 5 million local people.

Port City Colombo

Set to be a high-end city complex within the core area of Colombo, Port City Colombo is a key cooperation project between Sri Lanka and China under the Belt and Road Initiative. Designed and developed by China Harbour Engineering Company, a subsidiary of China Communications Construction Company, it aims to become an economic zone, financial center and new industrial city, serving the South Asian region.

Egypt's New Capital CBD Project

The CBD project in Egypt's new administrative capital covers some 620,000 square meters. It features 20 commercial and residential skyscrapers. As a perfect combination of the Belt and Road Initiative and Egypt's "Vision 2030", the project built by China State Construction Engineering Corporation is expected to boost the development of the Suez Canal economic belt and the Red Sea economic belt, and help to realize Egypt's national rejuvenation plan.

HBIS Group Serbia Iron & Steel d.o.o

In response to the Belt and Road Initiative, HBIS Group, one of global top steelmakers, signed an agreement with the Serbian government in 2016 to acquire the Smederevo Steel Plant and establish HBIS Group Serbia Iron & Steel d.o.o, the first Chinese-acquired overseas fully integrated steel enterprise. It took the Chinese-invested Serbian company just half a year to achieve a turnaround. It has become the largest export business in Serbia for four consecutive years.

China-Laos Railway

The China-Laos Railway runs from Kunming, China's Yunnan province, to Vientiane, Laos. The 1,035-kilometer railway is the first international railway with principal investment from China using Chinese technological standards and equipment, and is directly connected to China's railway network, since the inception of the Belt and Road Initiative. China Railway Group and China Railway Construction Corporation participated in the construction.

China-Belarus Industrial Park

The industrial park located 25 kilometers east of Minsk, capital of Belarus, is planned to cover 117.61 square kilometers. As the major shareholder of the park development company and the main construction entity of the first phase of the park infrastructure, China National Machinery Industry Corporation cooperates with its partners in the park's development, construction and operation.

Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway

The high-speed railway connects Indonesian capital Jakarta and tourist city Bandung. The 142.3-kilometer line, jointly constructed by CREC and Power China, is the first high-speed rail in Southeast Asia. After it is put into operation, travel time between the two cities can be reduced from over three hours to just 40 minutes.

Piraeus Port

As the hub port closest to the Suez Canal, Piraeus Port located in the southeast of Europe has played a key role in connecting the East and the West since ancient times. Currently, the port developed by China COSCO Shipping Corporation, has become a leading container hub port in the Mediterranean, the largest ferry port and third largest cruise home port in Europe, as well as the most important car transshipment hub and ship repair center in eastern Mediterranean.

Independence Boulevard

The boulevard, constructed by China Harbour Engineering Company, a subsidiary of China Communications Construction Company, connects the National Parliament House of Papua New Guinea with the city's main road, creating more convenient and efficient transportation conditions for locals. The engineering project's quality has been rated as the highest level by the Agency for International Economic Cooperation at the Ministry of Commerce.