Statistics from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development show that 80% of global trade in goods is carried out by sea. In recent years, under the belt and Road Initiative, countries along the belt and Road have actively strengthened maritime connectivity, deepened port cooperation, and improved port infrastructure construction and operation, playing an important role in driving the economic development of all countries and promoting unimpeded global trade.

"Turn Gwadar into an oasis of prosperity"

Cargo ship sirens blare as the Pakistani port of Gwadar bustles with activity. The Gwadar Port is a major pilot project under the Belt and Road Initiative between China and Pakistan. In recent years, progress has been made in the construction of the Gwadar Port Area, the Gwadar Free Zone and surrounding facilities. "The changes here have been noticeable since November 2016," said Kashani, chairman of Pakistan's Gwadar Port Authority.

It is reported that Gwadar Port has full operational capacity and is actively expanding its business scope. At present, it is also cooperating with Ningbo Zhoushan Port to develop into a logistics hub and industrial base. The first phase of gwadar Free Zone has also been completed, with more than 40 enterprises participating in the investment with a total investment of more than 3 billion yuan. The second phase of the free zone, 36 times larger than the first phase, was launched in July last year, and more and more investors are showing strong interest in Gwadar port.

In Gwadar Green Ecological Technology Co., LTD., the vegetables in the greenhouse are growing well. The newly planted fungus grass is more than one person high. According to Wang Ruilei, head of the company, the Belt and Road Tropical Arid Economic Forest Engineering and Technology Research Center was established in Gwadar Free Zone in October 2021, and a team of Chinese experts came here to participate in the research and development of specific plans for planting cash crops. Green cash crops such as fungus grass can not only improve the local environment, but also develop a new industrial model in Gwadar region with special geological conditions, contributing to the development of local economy. "Our dream is to turn Gwadar into an oasis of prosperity," he said.

The development of Gwadar Port has always been focused on promoting local employment and improving people's livelihood. Construction of gwadar fertilizer plant, animal vaccine plant, lubricating oil plant and other projects was announced last year. New Gwadar International Airport and Gwadar Hospital are also under construction.

Nasir, the son of a fisherman, is the project director of the Gwadar Free Zone Logistics Base. He was awarded the title of "Outstanding Pakistani Employee of CHINA-Pakistan Economic Corridor Project" in 2021 because of the good operation of the sheep farm and chicken farm he managed. "I have new goals for the New Year." Nasir said that with the centralized development of Gwadar Free Zone, the breeding scale of the logistics base will continue to expand. "Hopefully, driven by the development of Gwadar Port, our livestock industry will also achieve new development," he said.

Khalid Mansour, special Assistant to Pakistan's Prime Minister for CPEC affairs, said the rapid development of Gwadar Port has provided Pakistan with new opportunities to connect with the world and brought new impetus to Pakistan's economic development. "Local people have found new jobs, learned new technologies and developed new industries, and their living conditions have greatly improved."

"It's totally different than Hong Kong"

About 10 kilometers southwest of Athens, the capital of Greece, lies the port of Piraeus on the coast of Salonikos Bay on the Aegean Sea. In Greek, Piraeus means "the place that guards the passage." It has been an important port of Greece since it was built over 400 BC. Hong Kong than the fate of several twists and turns, once poor operating conditions.

"With The investment and construction of Chinese enterprises, Hong Kong welcomes a new life." Greek Tassos Wamvakidis has worked here for nearly 50 years and has seen PI Port's revival. Cosco Shipping's investment has helped Belgium port develop rapidly, with its container throughput rising from 93rd in the world in 2010 to 26th in 2020. The project has brought direct social contribution of more than 1.4 billion euros to the local community. "It's a completely different port, with new equipment, new infrastructure and new technology."

In May 2021, the first "Pisiport-Sofia" land-Sea Express train carrying 29 containers departed from the Pisiport-Sofia container Terminal. Just over 40 hours later, the train arrived on the outskirts of Sofia, Bulgaria, six days shorter than the traditional mode of delivery. This is another step of China's continued investment in the development of Belgium and the China-Europe Land-Sea Express Line.

"The project is progressing smoothly, the port is functioning normally, the shipyard and other projects are being planned... The Greek government is confident that PI will become a new hub for cruise terminals in the Mediterranean." During the epidemic prevention and control period, Chinese enterprises not only ensured normal production of all business sectors, but also actively supported the local government's epidemic prevention and resumption of work and production, establishing a good brand image of Chinese enterprises, said Prakiotakis, head of the Policy Department of Greek Maritime transport and Islands.

"The successful cooperation between Greece and China in recent years has helped Belgium and Hong Kong effectively cope with the impact of the epidemic." Wamwakides said that The Port of Belgium has performed well in the Mediterranean and even in Europe, contributing not only to the economic recovery and development of Greece, but also to the unimpeded global trade.

The story of Hong Kong's all-round development continues. Greece is one of the countries with the longest coastline in the world, rich in tourism resources, and Belgium port is the hub port connecting various island attractions, so there are broad opportunities for cruise business. At the beginning of 2020, the pisiang cruise terminal expansion project will be launched in combination with local characteristics and in line with the new development trend of the cruise industry. It is expected that after the completion of the project in 2023, the cruise ship home port will be able to berth a large cruise ship with a length of 360 meters and a capacity of 6,000 passengers, helping the Port to enhance its international competitiveness.

"Help speed up regional economic integration"

The sky is wide, the ocean is blue, the new port bridge stands tall and the colorful containers are stacked neatly. At Manda Bay in Lamu County, at the northern end of Kenya's coastline, berth 1 of Lamu Port, built by China Communications Construction Corporation (CCCC), is busy. Joshua, a 28-year-old Engineer from Kenya, vividly remembers the opening of Berth 1 in 2021, when ships loaded with cargo approached and docked in an orderly fashion. "It was a dream come true," he says.

Kenya has long had only one international port, Mombasa. With the increasing saturation of throughput, port capacity is increasingly tense, economic development is restricted. One of the major projects under Kenya's Vision 2030 plan, lamu port is being built to accommodate 100,000 tonnes of cargo ships and hold about 63,000 containers. Among them, CCCC undertook the construction of Berth 1-3 of Lamu Port.

Lamu Port 1-3 berths project total length of 1200 meters, only steel pipe piles need thousands of. The project team decided to build a steel pipe pile plant locally. In December 2016, with the roar of machinery, the first automatic spiral welded pipe production line in East Africa was officially put into operation. As the length of steel pipe is customized and localized, the excess steel pipe can be recycled and spliced, which reduces the cost and improves the efficiency, laying a solid foundation for the smooth implementation of the project.

Samatar, general manager of Lamu Port, said that the construction of the new port will drive the infrastructure construction of Lamu region and Kenya as a whole, create tens of thousands of jobs for local people, and bring a lot of cooperation opportunities for local manufacturers, suppliers and subcontractors, and boost the local economy.

The Lamu Port project is also an important part of the construction of the "Lamu Port -- South Sudan -- Ethiopia Transport Corridor". Inspecting the project, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said the new transport corridor will greatly boost regional trade and economic and social development, providing a more reliable and convenient access to the sea for Ethiopia, South Sudan and northern Kenya. "As a key link of land port transportation, Lamu Port will provide strong support for import and export of Ethiopian goods and help accelerate regional economic integration," said Ethiopian Prime Minister Arbi.