BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- A railway using China's high-speed rail technology makes commuting easier for Serbians; a bridge built by a Chinese company to help Croats realize their long-cherished dream of connecting the northern and southern territories; A port operated by Chinese investment, from the brink of bankruptcy to one of the fastest growing container ports in the world, brings Greeks a bigger dream...
On the land of Central and Eastern Europe, one "Belt and One Road" project after another has been continuously promoted, benefiting the people of Central and Eastern European countries, promoting personnel and economic and trade exchanges, and witnessing the pragmatic cooperation and joint progress between China and Central and Eastern Europe.
Build bridges for development
Speaking of the Pelješac Bridge, which has been in traffic for almost a year, Davor Peric, project manager of the Croatian Highway Association, is full of praise. In a recent interview with Xinhua News Agency, he said that since its opening, more than 1.5 million cars have safely passed over the Pelješac Bridge, and Croats are very satisfied with the quality of the bridge. "The Pelješac Bridge project was completed on time and with high quality, which is a very, very good cooperation with the participation of Chinese companies."
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Peric said that the completion and opening of the bridge to traffic has changed the inconvenient transportation situation in the Pelješac area, effectively promoted the economic and people's livelihood development of southern Croatia, and brought many benefits to local residents and enterprises.
Croatia's Radez shipyard was on the verge of closure during the coronavirus pandemic, putting the livelihoods of more than 300 employees at risk. After the start of the Pelješac bridge project, the shipyard successfully weathered the difficulties by becoming a processing subcontractor for the bridge's ancillary facilities. In Komarna, near the bridge, hotels, restaurants and supermarkets are booming. When locals see Chinese, they will always say "hello" and "thank you" with Chinese warmly.
The 2,440-meter-long Pelješac Bridge, built by a consortium of Chinese enterprises led by China Road and Bridge Corporation, is the largest transportation infrastructure construction project since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Croatia. Since the official start of construction in 2018, the Pelješac Bridge has received great attention from both China and Croatia. Croatian Prime Minister Plenkovic and relevant cabinet members have visited the construction site more than ten times.
On July 26, 2022, Komarna, Croatia set off fireworks to celebrate the opening of the Pelješac Bridge, a landmark project of the "Belt and Road" jointly built by China and Croatia. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Xuejun
When the bridge was still under construction, many Croats came to take photos. Because this bridge spans the Little Stone Bay in the Adriatic Sea in southern Croatia, connecting the mainland of the country with the Pelješac Peninsula, it can realize the aspirations and dreams of the Croatian people to connect the northern and southern territories after completion. Locals go to Dubrovnik, the "pearl of the Adriatic Sea", no longer have to go in and out of neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina many times, and can complete the journey that used to take three hours in two or three minutes.
People pose with the newly opened Pelješac Bridge in Komarna, Croatia, on July 27, 2022. Xinhua News Agency (Pixsell Images, photo by Igor Clari)
"I was imagining that many years from now, I would be proud and proud when I told my children and grandchildren about my participation in the construction of the Pelješac Bridge," Selma Kundersen, a Grammar employee involved in the construction project, told reporters with great excitement when the bridge opened to traffic on July 26 last year.
Chinese Ambassador to Croatia Qi Qianjin said that the Pelješac Bridge is a bridge of cooperation between China and Croatia, a bridge of development and a bridge of friendship. The experience since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Croatia shows that as long as the two sides adhere to mutual respect, treat each other as equals, and build more bridges of mutual trust, cooperation and friendship, they can cross the distance of mountains and seas and embark on the road of mutual benefit and win-win results.
Make the journey home no longer long
In Serbia, which borders Croatia, another Belt and Road project is also making a positive difference in the lives of local people.
From Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, to the north-central city of Novi Sad, a round trip by train used to take four or five hours. For ten years, Yastra Jelačić had to embark on such a long commute almost every day. The 37-year-old mother of two lives in Novi Sad, based in Belgrade. Last March, the Benoy section of the Hungarian-Serbian railway was opened, and she finally said goodbye to her daily rush and exhaustion.
The Hungarian-Serbian railway is a landmark project of cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries, and it is also the docking of China's railway technology and equipment with the EU's railway interconnection technical specifications. The total length of the railway is about 350 kilometers, connecting Belgrade with Budapest, the capital of Hungary, of which 183 kilometers are in Serbia and the maximum speed is designed for 200 kilometers per hour. The Benoy section is about 80 kilometers long and has sent a total of 2.93 million passengers in the past year.
On March 19, 2022, the Benoy section of the Hungarian-Serbian railway in Serbia was put into operation. Serbian President Vučić (center right) and Hungarian Prime Minister Viking Orban (center left) arrive at Novi Sad railway station by train. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Wang Wei)
On the train home, Jelačić told Xinhua that in the past, in addition to the long time of the train, the train often had problems, she once wore high-heeled sandals along the tracks to the next station due to train failure, "Since then I have never dared to wear sandals to take the train."
Today, the newly opened railway adopts a large number of Chinese high-speed rail technology and equipment, the maximum speed of trains has been greatly increased, and the travel time between Belgrade and Novi Sad has been compressed to about 30 minutes. Jelačić lamented that taking the high-speed rail between two cities is like commuting to and from the same city, "I feel much more relaxed, I am no longer tired, and I no longer feel that time is wasted."
On February 22, workers move cable protection pipes at the construction site of the Hungarian section of the Hungarian-Serbian railway in Sobaude Salas, Hungary. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zheng Huansong
Serbian President Vučić has repeatedly praised the railway project. When inspecting the construction site at the beginning of this year, he said that thanks to the cooperation concept put forward by the Chinese side, the construction of the Hungarian-Serbian railway has become part of Serbia's modernization drive. He expressed gratitude to the builders of Cyprus and China for making every effort to accelerate the construction of the project, and looked forward to the two countries achieving more cooperation results through joint efforts.
Demonstrate win-win cooperation
As an important part of the China-Europe land-sea express line, the Hungarian-Serbian railway connects the China-Europe train line to the north, and the port of Piraeus in Greece can be extended to the south in the future.
Piraeus, which means "place of passage" in Greek, has always been an important Greek port. However, many years ago, the port of Bishan decayed, and a large number of ship owners abandoned the port for a while. In 2008, China COSCO Shipping Group (COSCO SHIPPING) signed a 35-year concession agreement with the Greek side to establish COSCO SHIPPING Port Piraeus Terminal Co., Ltd. (PCT) to officially take over the container terminals No. 2 and No. 3 of Bigang. The ancient port of Bi was thus given a new lease of life.
Today's Bigang, the new bridge crane stands by the container terminal, constantly loading and unloading goods from large berthed ships, the ferry terminal is full of people, and the car ship terminal is lined with new cars waiting for transportation...
Data show that the total investment in the construction and upgrading of COSCO SHIPPING Container Terminal has exceeded 600 million euros, creating about 3,000 direct jobs for the local area, which is undoubtedly one of the important boosts for Greece, which was once mired in a debt crisis.
This is a photo of Container Terminal 3 in the Greek port of Piraeus, February 19, 2022. Xinhua News Agency (Photo provided by COSCO SHIPPING Port Piraeus Terminal Co., Ltd.)
According to Antonis Apegis, head of the PCT Engineering Department, the development of Bigang fully demonstrates the win-win cooperation between China and Greece, on the one hand, it provides more local jobs and promotes local economic development; On the other hand, the superior geographical location of the port also brings advantages to the company's development, and the enterprises and employees of both Greece and China benefit from it.
This is the COSCO SHIPPING Galaxy ship docked at the container terminal in the port of Piraeus in Greece on September 6, 2019. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Leftrice Pacharis)
It is understood that the container business of Bigang has grown steadily, and Bigang has become one of the top 30 container ports in the world. Looking forward to the future of Hong Kong, the Greeks have more confidence and expectations.
Nektarios Diminopros of COSCO SHIPPING Piraeus Port Co., Ltd. (PPA) told Xinhua that whether it is his Greek colleagues or Chinese colleagues, the common vision is to build Bihai Port into one of the world's important shipping hubs, "we are a strong team with a common big dream." (Reporters: Zhang Dailei, Li Xuejun, Shi Zhongyu, Yu Shuaishuai, Zhang Xiuzhi; Reporting by: Nemanja Chabrić, Leilia Dušek; Video: Wang Yujue; Editing by Diao Ze, Sun Hao, Du Yuge, Chen Yufen)
Produced by the International Department of Xinhua News Agency
Produced by Xinhua News Agency's International Communication Integration Platform