The Package A for Stage 2 of Etihad Rail Project completed its commissioning test last year.
（photo/ People's Daily）

The United Arab Emirates (the UAE) is an important comprehensive strategic partner of China. In recent years, Chinese enterprises in the UAE have actively fulfilled their social responsibilities and supported local economic and social development, from building infrastructure such as railways and photovoltaic power plants to desalination plants, hospitals and other livelihood projects, from initiating green construction to engaging in the marine ecological protection, and from attaching importance to the training of localized staff to extending people-to-people exchanges, making positive contributions to promoting the high-quality China-UAE cooperation in the joint construction of "Belt and Road".

Construction of the infrastructure--

"The project team is our most valuable asset."

Recently, the Package A for Stage 2 of Etihad Rail Project (the Project) in the UAE, which was jointly constructed by China State Construction Engineering Corporation Middle East L.L.C. (CSCEC ME), a subsidiary of China State Construction Engineering Group Corporation (CSCEC), has received its performance certificate, marking that CSCEC ME has successfully completed all contractual obligations.

The 900-kilometer-long Etihad Rail, invested and constructed by the UAE government, connects 7 emirates, covering the principal centers of trade, industry, manufacturing, production, logistics, densely populated areas and major ports and harbors in the UAE. As an integral part of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) railway network, the Etihad Rail will also be connected with the railways of Saudi Arab, Oman and other countries. A number of Chinese enterprises are involved in the construction of the Etihad Rail. The Project, with a total length of about 140 kilometers, starts from the UAE border in the east and runs west to Ruwais, the industrial port city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The project was launched in March 2019 and completed in May 2023.

The Project is the first railway project constructed by CSCEC in the Middle East. Together with partners from South Korea, France and Italy, CSCEC ME has pooled the advantages of each party in track construction, technology R&D and resource management. For its high quality performance and outstanding contribution to regional economic development, the Project was awarded the 2020 "Best Health and Safety Performance Award" from Consultant Engineer Jacobs, and the "International Safety Award" from the British Safety Council for the second consecutive year, as well as the "Global Project Excellence Award" for 2022 from Project Management Institute (PMI). His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of Dubai has visited the site and praised the project team: "You have made amazing progress and delivered tangible results." Shadi Malak, CEO of Etihad Rail, also said: "The project team is our most valuable asset. Without your efforts and commitment, the project could not have been completed in such a limited time frame. Thanks to the project team for your dedication, and your efforts will be seen!"

The Etihad Rail is a strategic project for the UAE to accelerate the transformation of economic diversification and connectivity with the Gulf region. The railway has initiated its freight transportation in 2022 with an annual transportation capacity of 60 million tons, and the passenger service is scheduled to be operational in 2030, with an initial capacity of 6 million passengers per year. Wei Chuanhai, deputy general manager of CSCEC ME, said the company's successful performance on this project proves the strength and accountability of China's central enterprises, and contributes to the promotion of the UAE's economic development. "We will continue to deepen cooperation in the UAE with more high-quality project, so as to inject stronger momentum into China-UAE practical cooperation."

Protection of the ecological environment--

"You have demonstrated a wealth of knowledge and professional skills."

Not long ago, Maria, a volunteer from the UAE side, introduced the turtle protection measures in the Jebel Ali Wetland Reserve, at a public welfare event on the protection of marine ecosystems held by Chinese companies and the UAE-based environmental organization Emirates Marine Environmental Group (EMEG), saying "Every day, we have people patrolling the beach, and areas where sea turtles are found laying eggs are protected with square iron fences."

The Hassyan Seawater Desalination Project adjacent to Jebel Ali Wetland Reserve, which is constructed by SEPCOIII Electric Power Construction Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Power Construction Corporation of China (POWERCHINA), will produce more than 800,000 cubic meters of fresh water per day upon completion. During the construction of the project, the operational team integrated the green construction concept into the management system objectives and minimized the impact on the ecological environment around the project in order to realize the benign interaction between high-level protection of the ecological environment and high-quality development of production and operation, for example, surveying the conditions of plants on the seabed and transplanting the special plants, refraining from construction along the coastline during the sea turtle breeding season, and so on.

Chinese enterprises often work together with local environmental protection organizations and cooperative enterprises on the UAE side to organize public welfare activities for the protection of marine ecosystems at the seashore where the project is located, cleaning up plastic waste and other garbage left on the beach. Ali Al Suweidi, Chairman of the EMEG, said to the team of Chinese enterprises, "You have demonstrated a wealth of knowledge and professional skills in the process of protecting the environment, and have made outstanding contributions to enhancing the environment of the community and raising the awareness of the local environmental protection."

Li Junqi, deputy general manager of POWERCHINA Middle East & North Africa headquarters, expressed that protecting the marine ecosystem is a bounden duty and also an important measure to improve the ecology. Chinese enterprises take the initiative to assume the responsibility of ecological environmental protection and work in solidarity with relevant local organizations to "contribute to building a beautiful homeland together."

Development of the civil exchanges--

"China and the UAE are supposed to carry out more similar exchanges and dialogues."

The Chinese Embassy in the UAE and the Consulate General in Dubai, in cooperation with the Bank of China, recently invited a group of outstanding young people from the UAE to visit China. Mariam, a photography enthusiast from First Bank of Abu Dhabi (FAB), was attracted by the green mountains and clear water in front of her in Yucun Village, Anji, Zhejiang Province, and took a lot of photos. "It is really beautiful here, where we can see the great achievements China has made in the field of green development! I hope that more friends from the UAE come to enjoy the beautiful landscapes of China," said she.

Azir from Dubai Investment Company experienced the "self-service express delivery" in Alibaba's showroom, which took less than a minute from packing to delivery. "China's advanced technology applications make people's life more and more intelligent, more and more convenient. I hope that these new technologies can also be introduced into the UAE!"

When visiting Liangzhu Museum, Abdullah, a staff member of Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi, was impressed by the "Inscribed Bird and Platform Symbols", saying: "we can also find similarities in the Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi with some of the cultural elements here, which fully demonstrates that different civilizations are interlinked. China and the UAE are supposed to carry out more similar exchanges and dialogues."

Pan Xinyuan, head of Bank of China (Dubai) Branch, said that the youth's communication and dialogue is an important part of China-UAE friendship and cooperation. After the UAE's excellent young people returned home from the visit, the sharing of what they have seen, felt and thought to more peers will promote mutual understanding between the young generations of the two sides, powering ahead the China-UAE relations steadily.

Chinese Business Council (CBC) in the UAE recently released its first "Report on Social Responsibility of Chinese Enterprises in the UAE", which provides many cases of Chinese enterprises assisting local economic development, practicing environmental protection concepts and actively contributing to the society. Chen Xinrong, President of CBC in the UAE and General Manager of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) Middle East branch, said that those Chinese enterprises actively performing their social responsibility in the UAE demonstrated the good image of Chinese enterprises in the new era.

Zhang Yiming, Chinese Ambassador to the UAE, said that this year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the UAE, and China-UAE relations are at the best period in history currently. The proactive fulfillment of social responsibility by Chinese enterprises in the UAE is conducive to further increasing mutual trust and deepening cooperation between China and the UAE, which is a vivid manifestation of the two countries' efforts to achieve common and sustainable development, and at the same time establishes a model for bilateral practical cooperation.