"I have witnessed the recognition and support of the people of Tajikistan for the Belt and Road Initiative, and I hope to continue to give full play to my advantages and show enthusiasm for the Belt and Road Initiative. Han Dongqi, secretary general of the Tajikistan Federation of Overseas Chinese, said.
More than a decade ago, Han Dongqi was engaged in trade in the bustling international trade city of Urumqi, Xinjiang, where merchants from Tajikistan were often crowded, and Han Dongqi saw business opportunities in their demand for Chinese goods.
In 2007, Han Dongqi went to Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, and picked up a stall in a large comprehensive wholesale market, opening a new chapter in transnational business.
Data map: Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Photo by China News Service reporter Han Haidan
From importer to construction company owner
At the beginning, Han Dongqi was mainly engaged in the wholesale business of small Chinese household appliances such as audio, and the purchased goods were always sold out quickly. "At that time, Tajikistan's goods were mainly imported, and high-quality and low-cost Chinese goods such as clothing, shoes and hats and daily necessities were very popular there," he said. ”
In 2010, Han Dongqi further expanded his business by renting two stores with a total area of 1,500 square meters to sell furniture imported from Foshan, Guangdong.
In 2013, Tajikistan actively responded to the Belt and Road Initiative and became the first country to sign a memorandum of cooperation with China on the Silk Road Economic Belt and establish a cooperation committee.
It is located in Dushanbe, the presidential palace of Tajikistan. Photo by China News Service reporter Han Haidan
The Belt and Road Initiative has also brought new opportunities for Chinese businessmen. Later, Han Dongqi set up a construction company and hired many local workers when he formed the construction team. In his view, these projects should not only focus on creating a better living environment for local people, but also benefit people's livelihoods by providing employment opportunities.
He said: "At the beginning, there were differences between local workers and Chinese workers in terms of working methods and ways of thinking, but through continuous running-in and communication, everyone became more and more tacit, forming a close team and building a solid and beautiful building." ”
Barren land is "transformed" into endless cotton fields
In the Kushannyon district of Khatlon Oblast, Tajikistan, the vast cotton fields are spread to the sky like a huge cashmere carpet, which is a magnificent picture of more than 100,000 acres of cotton fields cultivated by Jingu agriculture.
Han Dongqi has also participated in the construction of some agricultural cooperation projects between the two countries. Recalling his participation in the construction of the Jingu Agricultural Cotton Field Project, he said: "More than ten years ago, it was still a wasteland, with miscellaneous trees and weeds two or three meters high, a difference of more than ten meters in height, and no water source. Jingu agriculture has brought modern agricultural technology and drip irrigation methods to achieve high yields and high efficiency of cotton. ”
Jingu Agriculture has grown 120 hectares of cotton in Kushinillon district and 2,800 hectares in Jayhun district of Khatlon region. Han Dongqi said that when the locals saw such changes, they thought that the Chinese were very remarkable, and they admired the quality of the Chinese who were not afraid of difficulties and endured hardships and stood hard work.
Han Dongqi said: "We have also participated in the construction of the high-quality seed breeding base of the farms in the Yellow Flood Area, relying on the rich experience and advanced technology of the farms in the Yellow Flood Area in the breeding of improved seeds, combined with the climate and soil conditions of Tajikistan, to select and breed new varieties of high-quality crops suitable for local planting." ”
Han Dongqi said that Chinese enterprises have invested in the establishment of a number of agricultural and textile companies in Tajikistan to help Tajikistan's agricultural modernization and industrialization, and he believes that the cooperation between the two countries in the agricultural field will be even closer.
"The Chinese have accomplished an almost impossible task"
On August 1, 2022, the Luban Workshop in Tajikistan was officially completed and officially launched on December 1 of that year, which is the first Luban Workshop in Central Asia, jointly built by Tianjin Urban Construction Management Vocational and Technical College and Tajikistan Technical University, and Han Dongqi's construction team is also deeply involved in the project.
Han Dongqi recalled: "I remember that we completed the renovation and decoration of the venue 15 days ahead of schedule. After we worked overtime to complete the construction period, the president of the Technical University of Tajikistan excitedly lamented that the Chinese had completed an almost impossible task. ”
He said that the Luban Workshop in Tajikistan has cultivated many professional and technical talents, further improved the employment rate and family income of local people, and better met the employment needs of Chinese-funded enterprises in Tajikistan.
The Luban Workshop in Tajikistan was launched in December 2022. Courtesy of Tianjin Urban Construction Management Vocational and Technical College
Han Dongqi said that the Luban Workshop in Tajikistan will also carry out regular exchange and training activities, and this month Tianjin City Vocational and Technical College invited 14 teachers and students of the Luban Workshop to Tianjin to participate in training.
He said that the cooperation between the two countries in vocational education has broad prospects, and he looks forward to seeing the full flowering of vocational education cooperation in the fields of biochemical industry, light industry and textiles, cooking and catering, automobile manufacturing and maintenance.
"In the future, we also plan to promote cultural exchanges between the two countries, invite cultural groups from the two countries to exchange and visit, increase opportunities for business performance cooperation, introduce Tajikistan's high-quality literary and artistic works to China, and also want to invite more Tajikistani friends to visit China and experience Chinese culture." Han Dongqi said.
Reporter/Editor: Wu Kan
Editor in charge: Ma Haiyan
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