Picture ①: Tajikistan Dushanbe Flour Mill, staff are operating flour packaging equipment.
Photo courtesy of the interviewed companies
Picture ②: Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, participants of the Africa Regional Seminar on the Application of Juncao Technology visited a mushroom farm.
Photo by Huang Wanqing (Published by Xinhua News Agency)
Picture ③: The China-Cambodia Friendship Hospital in Tebun Kemon, Cambodia, laboratory doctors are processing patient test samples.
Photo by our reporter Liu Hui
Figure ④: Overlook of the Maharape Water Plant in Botswana.
Photo courtesy of the interviewed companies
A hospital protects tens of millions of patients from the difficulty of seeing a doctor; a flour mill guarantees the food supply of local residents; a water plant delivers clean and safe drinking water to thousands of households… Over the past 10 years, we have jointly built ” Many “small and beautiful” projects of the Belt and Road Initiative, as a priority of foreign cooperation, think about what the local people think and are anxious about the local people, be down-to-earth, and gather people’s hearts, effectively improving the livelihood of the people in the relevant countries An important way for the people of the country to gain a sense of belonging.
Starting today, this newspaper and the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council jointly launched a special edition of “Building the ‘Belt and Road’·’Small and Beautiful’ Benefiting the People’s Livelihood”, which tells how Chinese companies actively implement the “Small and Beautiful” project to promote the joint construction of the “Belt and Road”. “All the way” further deepens and solidifies the story.
“Everyone feels more at ease when seeing a doctor here”
Our reporter Liu Hui
In the scorching sun, the car slowly drove into the new area of Tbun Khmong County, Tbun Khmong Province, Cambodia. Rita, who came to see a doctor for the first time, had a very good first impression of the hospital. “The medical equipment is very advanced, and the hospital environment is also very good.” Rita’s second child is about to be born, so she deliberately chose Tbun Kemon China-Cambodia Friendship Hospital , “Everyone praised the high level of medical treatment here, so I chose here.”
The China-Cambodia Friendship Hospital of Tebun Kemoun was built with the assistance of the Chinese government and undertaken by China Railway Construction Group Co., Ltd. It was put into use in March last year and mainly serves the people in the eastern and northern regions of Cambodia. The hospital has a construction area of 24,000 square meters, has nearly 20 departments including internal medicine, pediatrics, and infectious diseases, and has 300 beds.
Cheng Da, an obstetrician and gynecologist, had just finished seeing a patient. He took off his hat, and his hair was already soaked in sweat. Since the hospital has been in operation for more than a year, the number of patients receiving more and more patients is increasing, and the work of each department is very busy. “In addition to the local people, more and more patients from surrounding provinces and cities also come here. Now the obstetrics and gynecology department has expanded from the previous two floors to three floors.” Cheng Da said.
Cheng Da is a native of Tebun Kemeng Province. He studied medicine at the School of Medicine of Nanchang University in China and practiced in a hospital in Wuhan. “China’s hospitals are large in scale, with complete departments and advanced equipment. At that time, I thought that it would be great to be able to work in such a hospital after returning to Cambodia.”
Today, Chengda’s dream has come true. In the Imaging Department and Laboratory Department of Tebun Kemeng China-Cambodia Friendship Hospital, medical centrifuges, nuclear magnetic resonance machines, CT machines and other equipment are readily available; in outpatient clinics and clinical departments, the digital management system is convenient and fast, which greatly improves efficiency of diagnosis and treatment. “In the past, seeing a doctor, registration, building medical records, and prescribing medicines were all manually written, but now they are all electronic.” Emergency doctor Jin Song said, “These equipment and digital management systems are provided by China, which has given us a lot of help. .”
“Our hospital has the ability to treat severe cases and perform large-scale operations. Such a modern hospital can help more patients.” Dean Yi Keen introduced that since its operation, the China-Cambodia Friendship Hospital has greatly improved the situation in the region. Due to medical conditions, there are fewer local patients going out for medical treatment. Tana, who lives near the hospital and lives nearby, told reporters: “In the past, many people chose to go to the capital Phnom Penh for treatment when they got seriously ill. Now, we also have a modern hospital here, so we don’t need to go to other places to see a doctor, and the cost is also greatly reduced. “
After the China-Cambodia Friendship Hospital was put into operation, it has driven the development of surrounding areas. Daily necessities stores, restaurants, beverage stalls… The location of the hospital used to be a bushy rural area, but now it has become a lively business district, where some needs of patients and their families can be met.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said that the China-Cambodia Friendship Hospital is a fruitful achievement of the Cambodia-China comprehensive strategic partnership and the construction of a Cambodia-China community with a shared future, and will play an important role in improving the well-being of the people. Now, this “hospital built with the help of China” has been praised by the local people. Tana’s husband Sorin often brings relatives to the hospital to see a doctor. “Everyone feels more at ease when they see a doctor here.”
“Bought cheap and delicious flour”
Qu Pei
On a summer afternoon, a special grain train loaded with wheat slowly entered the Dushanbe Flour Factory in Tajikistan. In the orange and white building, mills rumble. On the automated assembly line, after the ground flour is packed, it is shipped to the finished product warehouse in bags.
In the central control room of the flour mill, electrical engineer Ike and Peng Minghui are monitoring the operation of the equipment and communicating with each other on some parameters. Peng Minghui is the person in charge of the International Department of the Warehousing and Logistics Division of COFCO Science and Industry Co., Ltd. This time he went to the flour mill for a technical return visit.
Wheat is one of the main food crops in Tajikistan, but the domestic flour processing capacity in Tajikistan is limited, and most of the flour mills are concentrated in the northern region. The supply of flour in the capital area is small. The Dushanbe flour mill in the jurisdiction was built in the 1970s and stopped producing flour in the early 1990s, retaining only part of the storage function. In order to improve the situation of relying on foreign imports of flour, in 2019, the Dushanbe Municipal Government decided to initiate a renovation project for the Dushanbe Flour Mill.
How to revitalize an old factory that has been shut down for nearly 30 years? During the second “Belt and Road” International Cooperation Summit Forum, Avesta Group, the parent company of Dushanbe Flour Mill, and COFCO successfully contacted each other. Afterwards, COFCO Science and Engineering, a subsidiary of COFCO Group, proposed a design plan and dispatched employees to conduct on-site inspections. The two parties finally signed a cooperation agreement. The Tajik side is responsible for the civil renovation of the factory, and the Chinese side is responsible for the process design of the flour mill, the supply of mechanical and electrical equipment, and technical guidance.
In 2020, at the initial stage of mechanical and electrical equipment installation, the price of local flour market remained high, and some areas even experienced a shortage of flour. In order to ensure that the factory was put into production as scheduled, Peng Minghui and a project team composed of four colleagues took a chartered flight from a Chinese enterprise to resume work and production to go to the tower, and rushed to the construction line as soon as they landed. Nazarari, general manager of the flour mill, said with emotion: “The high professionalism and dedication shown by the Chinese team is admirable!”
Wheat entry debugging, mill debugging, troubleshooting… With the joint efforts of staff from China and Tajikistan, on December 13, 2020, the flour mill produced the first bag of flour. Vali, a young project manager in Tajikistan, held a handful of flour in his hand and said excitedly: “I’ve been looking forward to this moment since the first day I worked here!” As soon as the flour arrived, it was chased by the surrounding residents to ask how to buy it. The small truck in the factory became a temporary sales truck, and the flour was sold out by the nearby residents as soon as it arrived.
After the completion of the reconstruction project, the production capacity of the flour mill has been greatly increased. It can process 400 tons of wheat per day, and the daily output can meet the living needs of Dushanbe residents for 2-3 days. Abdul, the chief engineer of the flour mill, praised: “Our flour has been well received by everyone, and the feedback from customers is very positive.”
Muminov, a Dushanbe resident, told our reporter that before buying flour from other places, the price was always high due to the high transportation costs. After the Dushanbe Flour Mill was put into use, the price of flour in the central and southern markets of Tajikistan fell sharply. “Thanks to the support and help of Chinese companies, people have bought cheap and delicious flour.” Muminov said.
The renovation project of the Dushanbe Flour Mill is a vivid practice of China-Tajikistan joint construction of the “Belt and Road”. Muhammad, general manager of Avesta Group, said that the operation of the flour mill has not only promoted the joint development of the upstream and downstream of the flour industry chain, but also created many jobs for the local area. It has made an important contribution and opened up more room for our country’s economic growth.”
“The village has never stopped watering”
Our reporter Yan Yunming
In the early morning, in Shaoxiong Township in eastern Botswana, villager Hoofani Olekele was busy in the kitchen. Wash the vegetables first, and then put a small pot of water on the stove; in the yard, there are clothes to be washed in the laundry tub—this kind of life was something she never dared to imagine before. “Since the completion of the new water plant, we can drink safe drinking water every day, and daily water consumption is no longer a problem.” Olekele said with a smile.
The “new water plant” that Olekler refers to is the expanded Mahalape Water Plant. Shaoxiong Town is located in a water-scarce area, and the water problem has long plagued local villagers. The Maharape Water Plant was built in 2000. Due to years of disrepair and aging equipment, the water supply capacity of the water plant has been greatly affected, and water cuts are common. “In the past, the water was often cut off for two to three weeks, or even a month. Everyone could only wait for the government’s water delivery truck, or go to the well of a neighboring village to get water.” Ole Kle recalled. The well in the neighboring village is 23 kilometers away, and most villagers can only drive back and forth in donkey carts. It takes a lot of time for the round trip and queuing to fetch water.
In June 2019, the Maharape Water Plant Upgrade Project undertaken by China Construction Botswana Company, a subsidiary of China State Construction Engineering Corporation, started construction. In February 2022, the project will be officially completed and the water plant will be put into operation. The water purification capacity of the upgraded Mahalappe Water Plant has increased from 16,000 cubic meters to 34,000 cubic meters per day, which can meet the water needs of residents in seven villages within 70 kilometers of the surrounding area, benefiting a population of about 110,000. Villagers in Shaoxiong Town and nearby areas no longer have to run around on water fetching roads. “The water in the village has never been cut off again, and everyone is very happy.” Olekele said.
“Now the water supply of the water plant is sufficient, and the water quality has become better!” Water plant manager Badubi Encech introduced that the new water plant uses chlorine dioxide disinfectant for disinfection, which is more effective than chlorine gas disinfection in the past . The new water plant has also added an activated carbon filtration process, which can further improve water quality.
Shabalala, a water plant quality inspector, demonstrated the tap water turbidity monitoring process in the laboratory. “The turbidity of domestic water after disinfection and filtration has been greatly reduced, and the water quality is far higher than the standards stipulated by Botswana’s domestic water.” Shabalala said.
After the renovation of the water plant, the villagers have had better access to water, and their lives are getting better and better. Maharape Municipal Councilor Sam Kollebale said that the Maharape Water Plant Upgrade Project not only solved the drinking water problem of the villagers, but also increased local employment. He introduced that the water plant project team has a total of 260 employees, of which 218 are locals. “Even during the new crown epidemic, none of the employees lost their jobs.”
“We have been facing the problem of water shortage for a long time, and water resources are very precious to the local people.” Tepe Tepe, chief of Maharape, said that after the completion of the new water plant, the local water shortage and poor water quality have been significantly improved. “Thanks to Chinese companies for their help!”