East China’s Jiangsu province has made remarkable progress in its overseas development by tapping into the country’s Belt and Road initiative, as is evidenced by the achievements made by the China-UAE Industrial Capacity Cooperation Demonstration Zone and the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone.
The Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone has witnessed the emergence of tidy workshops, smooth roads, greenery belts and vibrant production.
Every morning, tens of thousands of workers flocked to the park to go to work. Farmers who used to raise cattle for their livelihoods have been transformed into industrial workers in the new era.
25-year-old Osani is now a translator at a Chinese-owned company in the park, earning $400 a month, almost twice the income of local civil servants.。
Osani, a worker at Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone
The factories have helped us bid farewell to the life relying on planting the fields, raising cattle and chicken. But now we have been able to earn a lot more.
Like Osani, more and moreCambodian youth have chosen to get employed at Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone to realize their dreams. TheChinese enterprises in the zone provide them with jobs and offer free training on the Chinese languageand job skills. In 2018, the Sino-Cambodian Friendship Institute of Technology in Sihanoukville, which was built by the Chinese government, started to admit local students. After more than half a year of operation, it has recruited more than 700 students who are dreaming of working for the zone upon graduation.
More and more quality education resources are helping local young people broaden their horizons and change their destiny.
Vice President of Sino-Cambodian Friendship Institute of Technology
The Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone has always attached great importance to the development of the school. In the future, we will also combine teaching with the needs of the park to cultivate diversified talents for the zone.
Sihanoukville initially had only a few factories, and currently 153 companies employ 29,000 people. Driven by the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone, Sihanoukville’s annual per capita income reached 3,358 US dollars in 2018, ranking top in Cambodia.
Zhou Haijiang, chairman and CEO of Hongdou Group
President Xi said that the booming Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone
is a model for pragmatic cooperation between China and Cambodia, which is a great encouragement to us.The praise made the Jiangsu people proud as the zone has benefited a great deal from the booming economic development in Jiangsu.
With the special economic zone as an important link, Sihanouk Province and Jiangsu Province have boosted frequent interactions and close cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, culture, education and medical care. The Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone has become the epitome of the people-to-people ties between China and Cambodia. The model industrial park on the "Belt and Road" is ushering in its new era of 2.0.
Run Min, Governor of Sihanoukville of Cambodia
The Belt and Road Initiative was proposed nearly six years ago. The port of Sihanoukville is very suitable for the development of the Belt and Road. It has brought many opportunities to the Cambodians and we are looking forward to more project cooperation with China in the future.
The success of China’s cooperation with Cambodia is not alone. Since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed nearly six years ago, Jiangsu has built an open platform for enterprises by expanding and strengthening overseas cooperation parks. At present, Jiangsu registers three state-level overseas parks, three provincial-level overseas economic and trade cooperation zones and one co-constructed industrialpark. From the rainforests of Southeast Asia to the deserts of the Middle East, from Central Asia to Africa, overseas parks with Jiangsu imprint has become a bright business card for Jiangsu to open up wider to the outside world for win-win.
The 3 provincial-level overseas parks,including the"Khorgos-East Gate" Special Economic Zone in Kazakhstan, have a total area of 448.3 square kilometers with an investment of 1.46 billion US dollars and the settlement of 225 enterprises. By 2020, Jiangsu will build 8-10 national and provincial-level overseas economic and trade cooperation zones.
Zhou Changqing, Deputy Director of the Department of Commerce of Jiangsu
Our development of overseas parks, combined with the construction of factories and the construction of the market, will drive Jiangsu-based companies to further expand the overseas market. The country is advancing the modern supply chain as a new kinetic energy for economic growth. We are now building a new overseas modern supply chain system to help our companies expand the overseas markets by bringing China's equipment, services, management and standards to foreign countries and regions and exerting greater comprehensive benefits.
Zhao Jianjun, deputy director of the provincial department of development and reform
In recent years, Jiangsu has attached great importance to and supported the promotion of international capacity cooperation, especially the construction of overseas parks. It has formed the path and mode of Jiangsu's “heavy asset investment operation” and “light asset management output” overseas park construction, which has been fully affirmed by the state departments. In the next steps, under the correct leadership of the provincial party committee and the provincial government, we will conscientiously study and implement the spirit of the 2nd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, especially the important spirit of the General Secretary’s speech, and give full play to Jiangsu’s role of being the juncture of the Belt and Road initiative.
