The most beautiful Silk Road youth series interviews and dissemination of CCCC youth style
The author | Li Ling of "Children of China"
Edited by | Zhang Huiqing
A long railway stretches from the small town of Cameron in Negeri Sembilan along the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia to the southern tip of the peninsula, and the trains on this railway are slow, the equipment is old, the passengers are few, and in the empty trains, there will always be a young Chinese figure. He often carried a digital camera with him, and every time he went to a stop, he would come out to take pictures, not to take pictures of the jungle in the distance, nor to take pictures of the beautiful temple buildings, but to focus on the old railway facilities.
"The railway uses internal combustion locomotives, the construction specifications are relatively low, and the distance of 200-300 kilometers takes 6 hours. Since 2011, we have promoted a Malaysian Railway Electrification Upgrading Project, which is a double-track electrification upgrade. After the upgrade, the original 6 hours of travel can be shortened to 3 hours, and the ride experience will be more comfortable. This young man who often takes the train to inspect the railway site is Jiang Fan, deputy general manager of the outreach department of the general manager department of the Malaysia East Coast Railway Project of China Communications Construction Group (hereinafter referred to as "CCCC") and assistant general manager of the South Pacific Regional Management Center of China Harbor Engineering Co., Ltd.
After graduating from university, Jiang Fan was selected by China Harbor Company to work in Malaysia for twelve years. With the friendship and in-depth exchanges between the two countries and the development needs of China's "Belt and Road" initiative, he spilled his youth and blood on the land of Malaysia, which became his second hometown. CCCC, a very large state-owned infrastructure enterprise with its back to China and actively promoting friendly cooperation with overseas countries, has become a broad stage for him to realize his personal dreams. The hardships of a foreign country and the longing for his relatives have all turned into his patriotic sincerity and the footsteps of struggle, adding a strong and colorful stroke to his youth.
A sense of mission from a train driver
Jiang Fan, who often hangs a camera on the same train, attracts the attention of train drivers.
"Where are you from?" Are you interested in trains? Finally, once, in the gap between the train stations, the train driver took the initiative to talk to Jiang Fan. He is Malaysian, always with a cigarette in his mouth, always oil stains on his clothes, and looks about 60 years old.
At the call of the Chinese Embassy in Malaysia, the general manager department of the CCCC Madong Railway Project raised anti-epidemic materials that were in short supply in the local society and took the initiative to donate them
"I'm from China, I'm an engineer, and we want to do a double-line electrification upgrade of this railway. After the upgrade, the original 6-hour journey can be shortened to 3 hours, the ride experience will be more comfortable, and there will be more and more passengers in the future. ”
Hearing this news, the driver was particularly excited, "there was a light in his eyes", And Jiang Fan clearly remembered his excited eyes. He enthusiastically pulled Jiang Fan into the cab, "taking pictures in the cab more clearly." Along the way, he told Jiang Fan his story: his father was also a train driver, after graduation, his son inherited his father's business, "Malaysia's railways began to build during the British colonial period, since the founding of Malaysia has not been much upgraded, in addition to this line, the other two sections have begun to electrify the double line transformation, only this one has not moved." Driving this line all his life, he always complained about the old equipment and the long distance, "my biggest wish is to drive an electrified train before retirement, and there will be no regrets in my career"!
Jiang Fan was very emotional after listening, and firmly told him, "At present, the Chinese and Malaysian governments are cooperating, and it is planned that the Chinese company will upgrade this railway, and the railway will become a double line in the future, and the locomotive will become electrified, and the speed can be driven to 160 kilometers per hour."
The driver said with both excitement and gratitude: "There are so many foreigners coming to our country, I think Chinese is the best." Chinese actively participated in the construction of infrastructure in Malaysia and built bridges and roads for us, and we are grateful. ”
"After that, every time he took this train, he would definitely pull me to the cab and tell me which section of the roadbed was not good, which section often collapsed, and please pay attention to when we build it in the future." Every time he met, he would ask me when construction would start and when it would be completed. Every time I say it's fast, it must be before you retire." However, to Jiang Fan's regret, this project did not start construction until 2018 for various reasons. During this period, he lost contact with the train driver, and when the project started, Jiang Fan went to take the train again, and he could not find him. "I hope that after the completion of the project, he can take this train as a passenger," Jiang Fan said with emotion.
During the epidemic period, Jiang Fan (first from the right) coordinated with embassies, medical supplie manufacturers, logistics channels and recipients to ensure timely donation of materials
After more than ten years of working in Malaysia, the ups and downs of business negotiations, the project crisis caused by political turmoil, the promotion of the resumption of work and production in the face of the impact of the epidemic... There are too many experiences and stories, but this ordinary train driver has left the deepest impression on Jiang Fan, which has become the driving force and significance of his persistence in a foreign country.
With dreams, to the distance, the youth train set sail
In 2008, Beijing was preparing for the Olympic Games, and the infrastructure industry ushered in a rare opportunity for development. In the Olympic Village, many college students participate in project internships, and Jiang Fan, a graduate of civil engineering at Beijing Jiaotong University, is one of them.
Seeing the tall buildings rising from the ground, watching the bird's nest and the water cube successfully completed, Jiang Fan could not hide the surging in his heart. "The infrastructure industry is an industry that needs to accumulate experience, and I decided to work in the period of rapid development of the industry to accumulate more experience." Jiang Fan did not choose to study abroad and study for graduate school, but wanted to join the construction company as soon as possible after graduating from college, grow into a project manager, or join a real estate company, and do real estate project development and operation in the future.
Soon after, he received an interview invitation from China Harbor Engineering Co., Ltd., and the first question the interviewer asked was: Can he accept long-term overseas work? "I also understand that China Harbor is a foreign economic enterprise, and it is inevitable to work overseas. Therefore, when I decided to join the harbor, I was already mentally prepared, but I did not expect to work overseas for more than ten consecutive years. ”
In the first year of China Harbor, Jiang Fan worked in the market development department of the company's headquarters. EPC, BOT, Framework, Credit Insurance... Hearing colleagues discuss these terms, I was completely confused, and I didn't understand the meaning of the terms at all in the face of a flood of English contracts. "At that time, there was a gap in the knowledge of overseas infrastructure."
In the face of these things that have never been taught in these schools, Jiang Fan started from the most basic printing and copying work, slowly learned how to handle the letter of guarantee, how to prepare prequalification documents, how to make and report PPT... "I think any work is to start bit by bit, humbly learn from colleagues and ask for advice, do the most basic work in detail, make the simplest things colorful, and eventually there will be some gains." ”
In 2009, the company needed to supplement market operators in Malaysia, and Jiang Fan was selected to take up the post. Although I was mentally prepared before joining China Harbor, when this day came, I would still be worried, "After going abroad, I will face an unfamiliar environment, and I will gather less with my family from then on, but since I chose the road of international project contracting, I finally strengthened my confidence and resolutely took the first step." Jiang Fan said that he had always dreamed of going to thousands of worlds to see and understand the customs and customs of the world in this lifetime, and now he has the opportunity to step into a foreign country and experience a completely different working environment.
Jiang Fan's wife was his college classmate, and when he decided to join China Harbor, the two communicated for a long time. "At that time, I was more optimistic, and I expected to work overseas for 2-3 consecutive years and face the problem of long-distance relationships for several years. After she graduated from graduate school, I could transfer back to work in China and buy a house and get married. I didn't expect to stay for more than ten years."
Before going abroad, Jiang Fan's fiancée gave him a gift, a camera. At that time, there was no WeChat and smart phones, the network speed was also very slow, and only video chat like playing slideshows, such a life lasted for 8 years, and there were only one or two opportunities to meet on vacation every year. Recalling the experience of separating from foreign countries, Jiang Fan could not hide his bitterness, "For me, even if there are many adaptations, difficulties and resistances in local work and life, biting your teeth can be overcome." Only one thing, being away from home and not being able to reunite with their families for a long time is the biggest regret of all overseas engineers." "Especially when communicating with the company's predecessors, the feeling is deeper, the predecessors who worked abroad in the 90s, the conditions are more difficult, not to mention the video, the phone is rare to make a call." Therefore, when China's infrastructure projects amaze the world, we must never forget the sacrifices and contributions made by the families of international project builders."
Contribute youth wisdom to building a bridge of friendship between China and Malaysia
Unlike when Jiang Fan first came to Malaysia more than a decade ago, with the continuous development of China's economic level and the continuous improvement of the quality of Chinese products, Malaysia's impression of Chinese manufacturing has greatly improved.
Photograph taken by Jiang Fan while inspecting the railway project
CRRC Group invested in the construction of a locomotive factory in Malaysia, and the vehicles produced are widely used in Malaysian rail transit. Geely Group acquired Proton, Malaysia's largest automobile brand, and the first model manufactured through technology export was very popular in Malaysia. Alibaba's acquisition of Southeast Asia's largest e-commerce platform brings Chinese products to thousands of households in Malaysia. "In recent years, the bilateral trade volume between China and Malaysia has remained at about US$100 billion, and China has maintained Malaysia's largest trading partner for 11 consecutive years. These achievements are all due to the continuous improvement of confidence in Chinese products and Chinese manufacturing in all sectors of Malaysian society. Jiang Fan said.
Jiang Fan is more experienced in China's construction field. The engineering contracting industry has always been a key area of economic and trade cooperation between China and Malaysia, and since 2007, China Harbor has implemented the first intergovernmental framework cooperation project in Malaysia, the Penang Second Cross-Sea Bridge. The technical quality requirements of this project are extremely stringent, with a design service life of 120 years, and after completion, it will become the longest cross-sea bridge in Southeast Asia. In 2015, China Harbor began to implement the Kuantan Deepwater Port and Breakwater Project, successfully repairing the construction defects of the territorial contractor and completing the project implementation on schedule and with quality. At present, CCCC is implementing the East Coast Railway Project, which is the largest economic and trade cooperation project between China and Malaysia, which will become the main transportation artery between the east and west coasts after completion, promote economic development along the railway line, and improve people's living standards.
At the beginning of 2013, China Harbor participated in the bidding of the Kuantan Deepwater Port Breakwater Project, which is located in Kuantan City, Pahang, on the east coast of Malaysia, and the Malaysia-China Industrial Park landed in Kuantan, requiring the construction of a new Kuantan Port to enhance the port's logistics capacity. Malaysia's east coast region has two monsoons every year in mid-year and at the end of the year, requiring the construction of a 4.6-kilometre-long breakwater to withstand the wind and waves. The construction of this project is more difficult, and it is necessary to transport stone from nearly 100 kilometers away for filling without affecting the operation of existing ports and the construction of new ports, and install a 4-meter-long and wide, 12.5-ton breakwater retainer block in a tight and seamless environment with strong winds and waves.
Due to local protectionist barriers, the Malaysian government eventually awarded a contract to a family land company to undertake the project. The contractor is a veteran maritime engineering company, but in the face of the difficulty of implementing the project, it was ultimately unable to perform, and half of the project was not completed at the end of the construction period, and there were major quality defects. If the project cannot be successfully completed, it will seriously affect the operation of the port and the Malaysia-China Industrial Park.
"In this case, the project owner terminated the contract with the local company and found us again, hoping that we would take over halfway, complete the project, and repair the defects." Such a project is difficult to build and repair. It is necessary to hoist the already installed, face-shielding blocks weighing about 12.5 tons, one by one, and then the crane and the diver cooperate to install them one by one. "In order to ensure the smooth production of enterprises in the Mazhong Industrial Park, we decided to take over this hot potato."
Faced with many challenges and various difficulties, Jiang Fan and the project team worked day and night to complete the construction and repair of the breakwater before the port operation, ensuring the operation of Kuantan Deepwater Port and the production of Malaysia-China Industrial Park. The project owners sincerely thank China Harbor for their contributions and fully recognize the capabilities of China Construction, "the successful implementation of these projects is highly recognized by malaysians and has shaped the international reputation of China Construction". Jiang Fan contributes Chinese wisdom to building a bridge between China and Malaysia.
At the end of 2019, the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic in China, the shortage of medical supplies, Malaysian Chinese and overseas Chinese have generously donated medical supplies to China. At that time, the general manager department of the Madong Railway Project where Jiang Fan worked also actively played its own advantages, unified deployment, coordinated all parties, anxious about the urgent needs of the country, and went all out to raise medical supplies to help the motherland. "During that time, I fully felt the unprecedented unity and strong patriotic enthusiasm of overseas Chinese and overseas Chinese. Tons of materials and love embody the strong family affection of compatriots and the feelings of home and country where overseas Chinese sons and daughters breathe together with the motherland and share a common destiny."
"China played the first half, the world played the second half, and overseas Chinese played the whole game." Throughout the war "epidemic", Jiang Fan has been running and busy. After the effective control of the epidemic in China, the epidemic situation in Malaysia has become more urgent and severe, and there is an extraordinary shortage of epidemic prevention materials. Under the call of the Chinese Embassy in Malaysia, the General Manager Department of CCCC Madong Railway Project attaches great importance to the prevention and control of the epidemic in Malaysia by raising epidemic prevention materials from many sources and taking the initiative to donate them while doing a good job in the company's own epidemic prevention and control.
Jiang Fan coordinates with embassies, medical supplie manufacturers, logistics channels and recipients to ensure timely donation of materials. At the donation ceremony, the former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to Malaysia highly praised the rapid response and positive assistance of the CCCC-Malaysia East Railway project during the day. He pointed out that all walks of life in China are highly concerned about the epidemic situation in Malaysia and are actively reaching out to Malaysia. As long as China and Malaysia are united and respond scientifically, they will certainly be able to defeat the epidemic and tide over the difficulties together.
China Harbor implemented the Kuantan Deepwater Port and Breakwater Project in Malaysia, successfully repaired the construction defects of the territorial contractor, and completed the project implementation on schedule and with quality
"At that time, I also learned a Malaysian proverb, climbing together when encountering mountains, and crossing ditches together. As Ambassador Bai said, China and Malaysia are brothers who watch over each other, and as long as they can continue to walk hand in hand, there is no mountain that cannot be conquered, and there is no dangerous ditch that cannot be crossed. ”
Take the initiative to create opportunities and seize the new opportunities of the "Belt and Road"
Since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed, cooperation between ASEAN countries and China has achieved fruitful results. Malaysia was one of the first countries along the Belt and Road Initiative to participate in and support it. On this basis, the governments and enterprises of the two countries have cooperated in depth to smoothly implement key economic and trade cooperation projects such as the East Coast Railway and the Shuangyuan Park of the two countries.
For how to "go out" under the "Belt and Road" initiative, Jiang Fan believes that the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" should be based on the principle of consultation, co-construction and sharing, and the guidance of open cooperation and mutual benefit and win-win results to select projects. Especially in the process of promoting the early project, we respect economic laws, follow market principles, and attach importance to economic feasibility analysis. "The pre-screening, planning and evaluation of the project is an important part of the whole life cycle, and the standardized and perfect economic feasibility analysis determines whether the project can really bring social and economic benefits to the construction enterprise and the host country, and whether it can withstand the scrutiny of history."
Jiang Fan believes that due to the management system, business model and other reasons, localization management has always been the short board of China's engineering contracting enterprises. Only through localization management, the formulation of a localization management system and corporate governance structure, can we truly improve competitiveness and achieve sustainable development. "In the process of market development, it is necessary to pay attention to the integration and cooperation of territorial resources, to achieve complementary advantages and resource sharing, in order to share risks and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results."
"Each country's political system, degree of economic development, industry-related policies and regulations are different, we must formulate different strategies for different markets and different regions according to local conditions, and refined marketing should be continuously consolidated." Jiang Fan's infrastructure industry is mainly for the government and major customers, and years of market operation work have shaped his strong sensitivity to politics, "The political stability and decision-making system of the host country have an important impact on whether major projects can be landed or smoothly implemented." Its economic development pillar industries, key development areas, and existing infrastructure levels also determine the key direction of market development. The study of industry regulations and policies is also indispensable, and only by fully studying the relevant legal norms of the industry and doing a good job of risk analysis can we avoid detours and avoid planting." These are the basic skills of Jiang Fan in the market development work, and they are also the things he has been paying attention to and studying since he joined the work.
On the other hand, in the process of "going out" under the "Belt and Road" initiative, Jiang Fan fully attaches importance to compliance risks, strictly abides by various legal procedures and institutional guidelines, and attaches importance to corporate codes of conduct and professional ethics. "In the process of participating in the construction of international projects, Chinese enterprises must first respect, understand and follow the current international rules, obtain the respect and recognition of the host country, and then participate in the revision and formulation of new rules." This is particularly important in the world pattern of major changes unprecedented in a century, and in the political environment of continuous turmoil in many countries. ”
"In the opening year of China's '14th Five-Year Plan' plan and Malaysia's twelfth Malaysia Plan, we should keep pace with the times, seize the opportunity of new infrastructure development, explore cooperation in 5G infrastructure, urban rail transit, big data centers, artificial intelligence, industrial Internet and other fields, inject new momentum into enterprises, and create new opportunities," Jiang Fan said, "When we do market development work, we never wait for opportunities to come, more often we need to study in advance and accurately grasp new development opportunities." Only by actively creating opportunities and becoming a leader before the wind outlet arrives can we dominate the market."
Group photo of the general manager of ccCC Malaysia East Coast Railway Project
With the continuous integration of the concept of sustainable development into the construction of the "Belt and Road", there are fewer and fewer projects with high emissions and heavy environmental pollution, and more and more enterprises are participating in cooperation in sustainable development, green investment, and scientific and technological innovation. Jiang Fan believes that the construction of the "Belt and Road" should pay attention to cooperation in sustainable production capacity and high-tech fields. "At present, the clean energy markets such as hydropower, wind power and photovoltaics in countries along the belt and road have great potential, and all participating enterprises should fully seize the opportunity to create new economic growth points in sustainable production capacity cooperation."
[ This article was published in China Children magazine No. 11-12, 2021 ]