7 years of Belt and Road Initiative: China makes its presence felt everywhere

Infographic: TBS

From road-rail to seaport and airport, under-river tunnel to elevated expressway, water utility to e-governance, coal to solar – China makes its presence felt everywhere. Apart from being a major importing partner, the Asian economic powerhouse has expanded its foothold in much-needed infrastructures in Bangladesh with cash, technology and expertise.

Though this bilateral partnership has been in place for decades, China now takes stock of how much it has deepened in the last seven years since Bangladesh joined the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Bangladesh is linked with one of the six economic corridors planned in the Chinese President Xi Jinping's ambitious infrastructure plan, also coined New Silk Road, that looks to connect East Asia to Europe by road and sea. 

Most BRI projects in Bangladesh are in the energy and transport sectors, whose need for infrastructural investment would be 1.5% of GDP in 2040. To drive economic growth to achieve Vision 2041, Bangladesh needs to fill in the infrastructure gaps where China's BRI comes in a bigger way.

"The 12 highway and 21 bridge projects represented by the Padma Multipurpose Bridge are the extension of the present-day 'Silk Road' in Bangladesh," Yao Wen, ambassador of China to Bangladesh, said in a programme in Dhaka on Sunday marking the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, and also the 7th anniversary of Bangladesh's participation in the Belt and Road Initiative.  

He listed 27 power energy projects undertaken by Chinese enterprises, multiple municipal projects such as sewage treatment plants, and manufacturing and agricultural factories as "lighthouses" leading the steady and long-term cooperation between China and Bangladesh. 

China has made a strong presence in Bangladesh's road transport infrastructures, building a total length of 550 kilometres which include the country's largest road-rail Padma Bridge and first-ever underwater roadway Bangladesh Karnaphuli River Tunnel Project. 

Paksey Bridge, 8th Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge, Dhaka Bypass, Dhaka-Khulna (N8) Project, Dhaka Elevated Expressway and Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Highway Project are among other major road and bridge projects.

Padma Bridge Rail Link Project, Tongi to Bhairab double track line, Dohazari to Cox's Bazar Railway are among the seven railway lines being built with a total length of 541.9 kilometres. 

"These roads and highways, bridges, and railways have played an essential role in Bangladesh's transportation network, improved the movement of goods and people across the country, and are casting a vital part for the economic growth," said Ke Changliang, president of Chinese Enterprises Association in Bangladesh (CEAB) that groups over 260 Chinese firms operating here in areas ranging from trade, garment to infrastructure construction, communication technology, finance, shipping, energy, logistics etc.

Chinese firms are engaged in 27 power and energy projects with more than 50% of Bangladesh's share, contributing largely to Bangladesh's power generation capacity. 

"Chinese enterprises have invested in various energy fields such as coal, solar, and wind power plants, making the energy mix increasingly diversified," he said, listing Payra 1320MW ultra-supercritical coal-fired power plant, Khulna 330MW Combined Cycle (Duel fuel) Power Plant-Project, Liz/Lida Rooftop Solar System among major power projects.

Project officials upbeat with outcomes

The list includes installation of Single Point Mooring (SPM) with Double Pipeline Expansion project at Maheshkhali in Cox's Bazar, which had a test run on 2 July, marking Bangladesh's entry into a new era of transporting imported oil straight to refinery from deep-sea vessels through pipeline. 

A total of 220km pipelines, both offshore and onshore, were built under the Tk8,341 crore SPM project, which will save Tk800 crore annually in oil transportation for Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the country's first fuel oil pipeline project in August, project director Sharif Hasnat told The Business Standard after the trial commissioning on Sunday.

Chinese companies have also invested and provided expertise in the municipal services sector to improve the water supply and sanitation systems and reduce pollution in Bangladesh's cities. 

Dasherkandi Sewage Treatment Plant Project in Dhaka is a flagship project, with two-thirds of the Tk3,482 crore cost coming from China as project aid through China Exim Bank. 

The project will treat sewerage from Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara, Basundhara, Mohakhali, Tejgaon, Moghbazar, Niketon before releasing water into the Balu River.

The project is set to be inaugurated on 30 July.

"It will also save the scenic Hatirjheel lake from further pollution by diverting sewage from a vast area of the capital city through Rampura Khal," Project Director Mohsin Ali Mia, who is also an executive engineer at Dhaka Wasa. said at a programme in the Chinese embassy in Dhaka on Sunday.

The sludge left after sewerage treatment will generate 40-50 tonnes of fly ash daily, which will be sold to cement factories, he informed.

The Dhaka Wasa official also spoke about the impact of the project in local job creation, community service and use of local materials during the project period.

Speaking at the same event in the Chinese embassy on Sunday, Dewan Md Abdul Kader, Executive Engineer and project manager at Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project, who oversaw the main bridge construction, highlighted the impacts of the massive $3.8 billion bridge, built fully with Bangladesh's own fund, on the life and economy of the 21 south-western districts it connects with Dhaka. 

He also spoke of his personal skill gains from his association with the Chinese expertise engaged in the construction of the main bridge, which has two other components – 400KV electricity line and gas pipeline across the mighty river. 

He also mentioned about the huge rail-link project which will connect Dhaka to districts across the Padma over the road-rail bridge.  

Md. Shahid Ullah Bhuyan, Head of Facility Management Division at Payra 1320MW Thermal Power Plant, spoke about how fast the project work completed by Bangladesh-China Power Company Limited (BCPCL), a joint venture formed following an agreement signed in Beijing during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit in 2014.

The BRI projects got a boost during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Dhaka in 2016, when China promised about $40 billion investment in Bangladesh's infrastructures. 

Padma Bridge rail link and Payra power plant were among the eight projects signed in 2016, followed by the 48-kilometre Dhaka Bypass – the country's first tollway – project signed in 2018, according to an analysis by the local think tank Centre for Policy Dialogue on how BRI started to roll out in Bangladesh.

Job creation and beyond

So far, these Chinese enterprises have created approximately 550,000 employment opportunities for Bangladeshis, said CEAB President Ke Changliang.

Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, speaking at the same event, also appreciated the role of Chinese enterprises in enhancing Bangladesh's infrastructure, particularly in communication infrastructure, energy, and power. "The factories and facilities established by Chinese companies have facilitated the growth of Bangladesh's manufacturing sector, generating employment opportunities and driving economic growth," he noted. 

Chinese enterprises are also promoting training, vocational programmes, innovations and technology transfer, apart from taking care of environmental protection, said CEAB President Ke Changliang.

Chinese companies introduced advanced environmental technologies and equipment to improve the environmental standards of production processes, reducing pollution and damage to the environment, he said.

Chinese officials and entrepreneurs were happy to recognise how social responsibility of Chinese enterprises helped local communities through cross-cultural engagements and people-to-people interactions.

The embassy honoured six role models. Alifa Chin, the Bangladeshi girl born on the Chinese Navy's "Peace Ark" hospital ship in 2010, was one of them. Chinese Ptresident Xi Jinping earlier replied to a letter from the girl whose last name means "China" in Bangla.

The embassy will send the girl and her family to China this year.

Israt Jahan, a Chinese translator turned into a safety supervision engineer through China-sponsored training project, a long-serving driver Masud Rana, Hasan Shahriar, a medical graduate from China, project staff Hasibuddin Talukder and Rokon Uddin were also given "China-Bangladesh Ambassador Friendship Award".

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, and also the 7th anniversary of Bangladesh's participation in the Belt and Road Initiative. The Chinese embassy in Bangladesh is taking the lead in writing a research report regarding the Belt and Road Initiative in Bangladesh," the ambassador said. The report, which will be launched in near future, will comprehensively demonstrate the current situation and future development direction of China-Bangladesh friendship, he added.