Guangming Daily reporter Wang Chuanjun
"Congratulations to the Yaji railway family, including Djibouti, Ethiopian and Chinese employees! The Yaji Railway has set a model for the prosperity and development of China-Africa relations! Ethiopian Finance Minister Sid praised this while attending the fifth anniversary of the opening of the Yaji Railway.
A few days ago, the celebration of the fifth anniversary of the operation of the Yaji Railway and the award ceremony of the "Locomotive Medal" were held at the Addis Ababa Station in Ethiopia. Zhao Zhiyuan, Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia, Sidd, Ethiopian Minister of Finance, Bolu, Minister of State of Ethiopian Transport and Logistics, Ibrahim, Minister of Infrastructure and Equipment of Djibouti, China Civil Engineering Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "China Civil Engineering") and China Railway Second Bureau of the Yaji Railway Construction and Operation Consortium (Yaji O&M) attended the event.
A successful example of China-Africa cooperation
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the "Belt and Road" initiative, and the Asia-Kyrgyzstan Railway, as a landmark project of the "Belt and Road", has also ushered in the fifth anniversary of its opening and operation. The Yadji Railway is another transnational railway built by China in Africa after the Tanzania-Zambia Railway, and it is also the first cross-border electrified railway in Africa, with a total length of 752 kilometers, spanning two African countries, from Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, to the port of Djibouti in the east, known as the "Tanzania-Zambia Railway in the new era". Ethiopia is located in northeast Africa, is the headquarters of the African Union, the train on the Yaji railway departs from Addis Ababa every day, running at a speed of 120 kilometers per hour for more than 6 hours, you can reach the port of neighboring Djibouti, turning Ethiopia, a "land-locked country" into a "land-linked country", greatly promoting the connectivity and economic development of the Horn of Africa region. The Yaji Railway is not only a flagship project of China-Africa cooperation under the "Belt and Road" initiative, but also the first overseas transnational electrified railway project integrating investment and financing, design, construction, main equipment and materials, supervision, locomotive and operation, and the whole process of "Chineseization", all of which use Chinese standards.
Zhao Zhiyuan highly praised the achievements made by the Asia-Kyrgyzstan Railway since the fifth anniversary of its operation, expressed his heartfelt congratulations on the achievement of break-even by the Asia-Kyrgyzstan Railway, and said that the railway has made outstanding contributions to the development of Ethiopia and East Africa, is a successful example of China-Africa cooperation, and is also the epitome of the "Belt and Road" initiative. China is preparing to provide a batch of urgently needed spare parts for the railway, and will continue to support the safe and sustainable development of the railway. Djibouti Minister of Infrastructure and Equipment Hassan pointed out that since its opening in 2018, the railway has brought benefits to Egypt and Kyrgyzstan, such as improving the transportation capacity of the two countries and training a group of young and promising engineers and technicians for the two countries. He particularly stressed that railways are an effective tool to serve the economy, society and culture, and have contributed to promoting regional peace, strengthening people-to-people exchanges, and promoting cultural and tourism development.
The Yaji Railway Economic Corridor drives regional development
Ethiopian Finance Minister Sid stressed in an interview that the Asia-Kyrgyzstan Railway has played an important role in the economic development of the two countries, promoted the industrialization process, improved the level of economic development, and supported the development of industrial parks along the Yaji Railway. For example, the Adama Industrial Park and the Derewa Industrial Park established in Ethiopia have the factor of the Yaji Railway. The capacity of the Yadji railway is constantly increasing, Ethiopian commodities and fertilizers basically rely on the Yaji railway for transportation, part of the coffee export depends on the Yajiva railway to the port of Djibouti, and the dry ports of De Dawa and Cape Mo also rely on the Yaji railway transportation. The railway is also currently transporting some oil, and the oil storage terminal in Awash will be completed. This fully shows that the operation of the Yaji Railway has greatly promoted the construction of local infrastructure, accelerated the industrialization of local cities, and promoted the development of communities.
Guo Chongfeng, general manager of Yaji O&M and general manager of China Civil Engineering Ethiopia Company, introduced that since the opening of commercial operation in 2018, Yaji Railway has operated 1,802 passenger trains, sending nearly 530,000 passengers; 6,179 freight trains were operated, with a cargo delivery volume of about 7.43 million tons and a total operating income of about 980 million yuan. In 2022, Yaji railway transportation revenue achieved a historic breakthrough and reached breakeven. He pointed out in particular that in order to further stimulate the regional economic development, Yaji Railway has continuously developed the passenger and freight market, enriched its service content, and successively opened high-quality services such as cold chain transportation, Xifa Chao to passenger cars, convenient trains along the line, car transportation special trains, and trackless stations in the Oriental Industrial Park. With the completion of the Yajiao Railway Derewa Dry Port Link, the expansion project of Mojiao Logistics Center and the construction of the Awash Oil Special Line Project, the interconnection of "port + railway + dry port + industrial park", the two characteristic products of railway "bulk cargo + oil products" will become bigger and stronger, and the "4+2" model of Yaji driving an economic belt driven by one railway will burst into vigor.
Guo Chongfeng said that in recent years, the advantages of the Yaji electrified railway have gradually been recognized by the Ethiopian government. Especially in the current unpredictable international situation, the international crude oil market price has fluctuated sharply, and Ethiopia has experienced severe fuel shortages one after another. When many gas stations have no oil supply and road transportation is basically stagnant, the Yaji electrified railway can overcome many difficulties caused by the shortage of diesel fuel and actively organize the transportation of edible oil, fertilizer and other materials, which has become the national economic artery of Ethiopia and Djibouti. In April 2019, during the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, the Asia-Kyrgyzstan Railway Economic Corridor and the industrial parks along the route were included in the joint communiqué of the Roundtable Summit of the Forum.
It is better to teach people to fish than to teach people to fish
Liu Weimin, chairman of China Civil Engineering Group, told reporters that they will uphold their original intention, accelerate the training of local railway operation and maintenance talents and technology transfer cooperation with the selfless spirit of "teaching people to fish is better than teaching people to fish", and teach China's advanced railway operation and maintenance skills to local partners. From construction to operation, the Asia-Kyrgyzstan railway has provided 55,000 jobs in Ethiopia and Djibouti and trained more than 3,000 railway professionals. Up to now, Yaji Railway has trained 107 local train drivers in three batches, including Gilma, the first female train driver of Yaji Railway.
In order to further promote localized management and strengthen the cultivation of local talents, on the morning of March 8, China Civil Engineering Ethiopia Company held a localization work promotion meeting and the 2022 outstanding local employee commendation meeting. Shen Qinmin, a staff member of the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia, who attended the event, pointed out that localization is the basic guarantee for Chinese enterprises to seek long-term development in Africa, and this event is a strong witness of Chinese enterprises in promoting mutual benefit and win-win results between China and Egypt.
Degene Irgu, who is currently a train driver on the Yaji Railway, told reporters that he has been a member of China Civil Engineering Ethiopia for 5 years and is proud of it. The company attaches great importance to the training of local employees, and he once went to Zhengzhou, China for an 8-month training and learned important train operation skills and knowledge. Currently, the trained employees, including himself, can do the relevant operations independently. "The completion of the Yadji railway has created a lot of jobs in Ethiopia and Djibouti, and it is important for ordinary people in both countries because it is a lifeline for our families." The reporter learned that in order to avoid the problem of disconnection between construction and operation after the transfer of the operation and management of the Yaji Railway, shortly after the start of the construction of the Yaji Railway, China Civil Engineering proposed to the Ethiopian and Djibouti governments the idea of participating in operation for 5 years and cultivating local operation and management talents, which was supported by the two governments.
The Yaji Railway is a lifeline of the East African plateau jointly built and operated by the Second Bureau of China Railway and China-Turkey Group. Jiang Wen, person in charge of the Ethiopia branch of the Second Bureau of China Railway, told reporters that in the five years since the opening and operation of the Yaji Railway, employees of China, Egypt and Kyrgyzstan have bravely forged ahead, watering the prosperous flower of the Yaji Railway with youth and sweat.
(Guangming Ribao Addis Ababa, March 18 -- Wang Chuanjun, reporter of Guangming Daily in Addis Ababa)
Guang Ming Daily(Version 08, March 19, 2023)
Source: Guangming Network - Guangming Daily