“ASEAN is becoming increasingly important in our overall business structure, as the projects are more comprehensive and large-scale while their impact on the local social and economic development are stronger,” Chen Zhong, Deputy General Manager of China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC), told GDToday at the ongoing China-ASEAN Expo in Guangxi.
CCCC is a Fortune Global 500 enterprise and a service provider of ultra-large infrastructure. Chen said CCCC is one of the first Chinese companies to go global and has landed projects in every ASEAN country, covering highways, railways, ports, bridges, airports, port dredging, and urban construction.
He took the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway as an example. With a total length of about 187.05 kilometers, it’s the first expressway in Cambodia connecting Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, and Sihanoukville, the country’s largest port city. It reduces the driving time from more than 5 hours to less than 2 hours, greatly reducing logistics costs and bringing convenience to people’s lives.
Chen believes that the ASEAN countries are in a rapid stage of development and have different demands for industrialization and urbanization. He suggested deepening cooperation with local communities, jointly feeding different demands for development and eventually reaching a win-win situation.
“As Vietnam has achieved rapid development in the green energy sector, we brought leading technologies, equipment and talent to construct the offshore wind power project in Soc Trang Province, Southern Vietnam,” said Chen.
The project is expected to provide 101 million kWh of clean energy to Vietnam every year, saving 24,500 tons of standard coal annually, which is equivalent to planting 220 hectares of trees.
According to the Ministry of Commerce of China, China has been actively contributing to the infrastructure connectivity in ASEAN countries. As of the end of July 2023, Chinese enterprises have completed a cumulative turnover of more than 380 billion USD in contracted projects in ASEAN countries.
Reported by Jasmine, Axin
Edited by Wing, James
