Even as Bangladesh on Saturday hailed the newly inaugurated Padma Bridge, the longest withinside the us of a, as a “image of country wide pride”, Chinese media stated the “transportation hub alongside the Belt and Road” course boosts the photograph of “made in China construction”.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday inaugurated the landmark 6.15km bridge, constructed over the 130km-lengthy meandering Padma River, marking the give up of the nearly $3.7 billion challenge, which began out in 2015. Located a few 40km from Dhaka, the bridge connects the southwestern location of the us of a with the capital through street and rail.
China’s respectable media has carefully tracked the improvement of the bridge, for the reason that the China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group (MBEC) has been at the back of its construction. The corporation has built at the least 3 different bridges in Bangladesh earlier than Padma Bridge.
Chinese media referred to as the bridge a “key a part of an expected Trans-Asian railway network”.
People’s Daily, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party of China, in an editorial in advance this month – withinside the run-as much as the bridge’s inauguration – praised China’s efforts in constructing infrastructure in overseas countries, with the primary attention at the Padma Bridge challenge. The article turned into posted below the headline, “Chinese companies’ remote places initiatives improve photograph of ‘Made in China construction’”.
The article mentioned the challenge’s related to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), an formidable international infrastructure challenge that is a part of Beijing’s strategic goals, consisting of sourcing assets and increasing influence.
“The bridge is likewise an critical transportation hub alongside the Belt and Road course and a crucial channel connecting the Trans-Asian Railway,” it stated.
Interestingly, the Bangladesh overseas ministry stated closing week that the Padma Multipurpose Bridge has been completely funded via way of means of Dhaka and “no overseas price range from any bilateral or multilateral investment organization have financially contributed to its construction”, a assertion which will be interpreted to suggest that the challenge isn’t always a part of BRI.
In the People’s Daily article, MBEC board chairperson Wen Wusong claimed that the corporation has generated over 50,000 activity possibilities for locals for the reason that begin of the bridge’s construction.
“Over the path of 8 years, centers which includes flowers and fueloline stations were rolled out at the north facet of the river, contributing to a higher lifestyles for neighborhood residents,” the file additionally claimed.
“In addition to selling neighborhood monetary and social improvement, Chinese companies’ remote places initiatives have facilitated the export of superior Chinese technologies, gadget and control mechanisms,” it added.
“The big infrastructure challenge, with the primary bridge spanning 6.15 km in length, is undertaken via way of means of MBEC. It is the biggest and maximum hard infrastructure challenge in Bangladesh’s history,” respectable information organization Xinhua claimed in numerous reviews at the bridge’s construction.
The country owned MBEC turned into based in 1953 and, in step with a brief profile via way of means of Bloomberg, the “corporation’s line of enterprise consists of offering wellknown contracting offerings which includes building bridges and tunnels”. It is a subsidiary of the China Railway Group Limited.
The People’s Daily article additionally mentioned the 1,320 MW China-constructed Payra ultra-supercritical coal-fired strength plant,claiming it turned into the biggest of its type in Bangladesh and turned into positioned into provider on March 21.
“It is the primary strength plant invested in and built via way of means of the China National Machinery Import & Export Corporation, a subsidiary of China General Technology (Group) Holding Co., Ltd., below a public–personal partnership in Bangladesh,” it stated.
Chinese-funded initiatives in Bangladesh consist of the $1.32 billion strength grid improvement, and a $1 billion digitalisation challenge, in step with country-run China Daily newspaper.
