The Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation will be held in Beijing from October 17 to 18.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative. Over the past decade, evolving from a broad "freehand outline" of overall planning to a meticulous "fine-line painting," this seed has grown into a towering tree with luxuriant branches.

As practitioners of the Belt and Road Initiative, the overseas builders of China Railway 14th Bureau Group have participated deeply and worked tirelessly, with one livelihood project after another blossoming into flowers of friendship along the routes.

Infrastructure "hard connectivity"

"If you want to get rich, build roads first." This saying, familiar to every Chinese, captures the inevitable link between infrastructure development, connectivity, and economic growth. Over the years, leveraging outstanding technology and rich experience, China Railway 14th Bureau Group has used "Chinese solutions" and "Chinese wisdom" to open up the "last mile" of roads in many countries.

Highway projects

Bejaia Port to East-West Highway, Algeria

In North Africa, the Algeria East-West Highway project in which China Railway 14th Bureau Group participated is hailed as a "project of the century," serving as the "engine" of Algeria's economic growth and becoming a widely celebrated China-Algeria "road of friendship" and "road to prosperity" among local residents.

In South Asia, China Railway 14th Bureau Group has repeatedly carried out road-clearing missions, restoring the Arniko Highway damaged by earthquakes and other disasters. The highway passes through towns such as Kodari, Barhabise, Khadichaur, and Bahrabise, and is the only vital transport route connecting to the outside world and a major China-Nepal economic and trade corridor.

China-aided Arniko Highway Road-Clearing Project in Nepal

China-aided Secondary Highway Project in the Federated States of Micronesia

Bridge projects

Over the years, China Railway 14th Bureau Group has built bridges for countries such as Fiji, Benin, and Ecuador, each becoming a calling card for the company.

In West Africa, the China-aided Cotonou Interchange in Benin, built by China Railway 14th Bureau Group, is the largest interchange in Benin and the country's first, comprising bridge works, river channel improvement, and landscaping. It has been praised by the Beninese government as "a bridge of China-Benin friendship and a road to economic takeoff."

China-aided Cotonou Interchange in Benin

China-aided Vatuwaqa Bridge in Fiji

In the South Pacific, once completed, the Vatuwaqa Bridge and the Stinson Bridge effectively connect Fiji's Stinson Avenue, the Suva Port wharf, the downtown transport hub station, and major markets, greatly improving transport conditions. The new Kama Bridge opens up the "last mile" linking the river hinterland with the Pohnpei State ring road, improving traffic conditions along the route and injecting new vitality into local economic and social development.

The York's Gut Bridge, located midstream on the Layou River, Dominica's largest river, is the "choke point" where the St. Joseph Highway—Dominica's major transport artery—crosses the Layou River. Over nearly three years of construction, the builders of China Railway 14th Bureau Group weathered 21 typhoons, 2 hurricanes, and numerous flash floods and tropical storms, helping open the York's Gut Bridge to traffic and ending the history of the severed east-west transport artery in Dominica.

China-aided Second Bridge in Niger

China-aided Stinson Bridge in Fiji

Zamora Bridge in Ecuador

Railway projects

The Dapilon-Santou Railway is Guinea's first modern railway, with a total length of 112.29 kilometers. The section built by China Railway 14th Bureau Group has a bridge-tunnel ratio of 21.7% and features the most complex geology and greatest construction difficulty among all sections of the line. Its completion and opening facilitate the extraction and transport of bauxite resources in the Winning Consortium's Santou mining area, while also serving multiple bauxite enterprises along the route, and is of great significance to the allocation of bauxite resources and the development of related industries along the line.

Guinea Dapilon-Santou Railway Project

Guinea Masi Railway Project

Building projects

Livelihood projects benefit the people. China Railway 14th Bureau Group has built a number of schools, stadiums, and other livelihood projects, bringing a better life to the people in the project areas.

China-aided National Armed Police Academy in Nepal

China-aided Emergency Repair Project for the National Stadium in Nepal

The Nepal National Armed Police Academy is hailed as a "milestone project" that pioneered national architecture in Nepal. It has become the best venue for training Nepal's armed police officers and soldiers, providing a learning and exchange venue for more than 30 countries and UN peacekeeping force armed police, and has so far graduated over 4,000 non-commissioned officers and soldiers.

The Nepal National Sports Center, including a shooting range, swimming pool, boxing arena, athletics track, and other venues, is an emergency post-disaster repair project built by China Railway 14th Bureau Group. It has hosted international and domestic events such as the 13th South Asian Games, and local people affectionately call the Chinese engineers "friendly envoys from the other side of the Himalayas."

China-aided Community Technical College Project in Malawi

China-aided Agricultural Technology Demonstration Center Project in Nigeria

The China-aided Agricultural Technology Demonstration Center Project in Nigeria, built by China Railway 14th Bureau Group, is a comprehensive agricultural technology industrial park for the country, providing new varieties, demonstrating new technologies, and training new talent to promote local agricultural production and development, and building a platform for China-Africa agricultural cooperation and development research.

The Confucius Institute at Universidade Agostinho Neto is the first Confucius Institute in Angola and the fourth in Africa. With its distinctive Oriental architectural style, it has become a landmark of Luanda. Its establishment has opened a window for Angolan students to learn Chinese language and culture and serves as an important platform for cultural exchange between China and Angola.

Confucius Institute at Universidade Agostinho Neto, Angola

Social Housing Project in Angola

Yanzaza Hospital in Zamora Chinchipe Province, Ecuador

China-aided Stadium Project in Cape Verde

Airport projects

Lomé International Airport, Togo

Rules and standards "soft connectivity"

Technical cooperation is an important part of foreign aid. The implementation of the Bikomo Hydropower Station in Equatorial Guinea and the Apia Sports Gymnasium in Samoa allows Chinese technology to benefit the world.

In 2016, China Railway 14th Bureau Group undertook the China-aided renovation project of the Bikomo Hydropower Station in Equatorial Guinea. Thanks to the excellent reputation gained during project construction, in February 2019 it also undertook the first-phase technical assistance project for the technical renovation of the Bikomo Hydropower Station, bringing new automation technology and modern management to the station.

As Hu Ajin, the station chief who has worked at the hydropower station for 40 years, said: "It is 'Chinese electricity' that has brought us new hope."

China-aided Bikomo Hydropower Station Project in Equatorial Guinea

China-aided Eighth-Phase Technical Assistance Project for the Apia Multi-Sports Complex in Samoa

"Heart connectivity" with the people of partner countries

The Belt and Road Initiative has built a bridge of people-to-people bonds and set the stage for the integration of civilizations and cultures. China Railway 14th Bureau Group not only delivers quality projects to host countries but also regards fulfilling its responsibilities and benefiting local people as its due obligations and duties.

On International Children's Day, the Ethiopia project team visited Soyama Town Primary School at the project site to present holiday gifts and blessings to the students.

Local residents of the Federated States of Micronesia spontaneously organized a children's choir to celebrate the smooth opening of the Kama Bridge and to send sincere blessings to the aid workers.

The Ecuador project team held a local student-aid activity.

The South Asia Office participated in a student-aid charity activity in Nepal.

The South Asia Office visited the National Model Science School in Nepal and had friendly exchanges with the children.

The China-aided Third-Phase Road-Clearing Project Department of the Arniko Highway in Nepal helped build infrastructure and received a letter of thanks from the Sindhupalchok Police Office in Kodari, Nepal.

Connectivity, a focus on development, and benefits for the world—the Belt and Road Initiative comes from a history of millennia and paves the road to benefit the world farther and wider.

The builders of China Railway 14th Bureau Group are constantly exploring around the world, striving to build the Belt and Road into a road of peace, prosperity, and civilization, raising the sails of win-win cooperation and driving China and the world toward a more prosperous and beautiful future!