Chinese firms win contract to build fourth bridge on Panama Canal -- Panama's Ministry of Public Works recently announced that the consortium composed of China Communications Construction Co., Ltd. and China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd. (CHEC) had won the contract to build the fourth bridge on the Panama Canal. With a contract value of 1.42 billion U.S. dollars, it is the largest single bridge project Chinese companies in Americas and it has attracted great attention in Panama and the whole Central America. The fourth bridge on the Panama Canal is designed to be 510 meters long, 51 meters wide and 75 meters high, and it is a cable-stayed bridge with both road and railway.
China's YTO Express plans new aviation logistics hub -- Shanghai courier YTO Express signed an investment agreement with Jiaxing city in East China to build the company's new aviation logistics hub. According to the agreement, the hub will be located at the Jiaxing Airport. The first phase of the project covers 96 hectares and costs 7.3 billion yuan. Total investment is 12.2 billion yuan. Construction is expected to start this year and the hub will be operational by 2021. It will be YTO's global operations base, research and development center and settlement center. YTO Express will also use rail, road and water transport infrastructure in Jiaxing to boost its logistical capacity in the Yangtze River Delta area, said Yu Weijiao, board chairman of YTO.
First LRT in Indonesia's Palembang starts trial operation -- The first light rail transit (LRT) in Palembang, Indonesia, lately has started trial operations. The 45km LRT, built by CHEC Indonesia Office, a subsidiary of China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), starts from Palembang International Airport and ends at Jakabaring Sports City with 13 stops. It will provide transportation support for the upcoming Asian Games in Jakarta in mid-August. The LRT project will not only provide nearly a thousand jobs for local residents, but also effectively ease the traffic pressure in Palembang, said a person in charge of the project.
China-Cambodia cultural innovation park starts construction in Siem Reap -- China-Cambodia cultural innovation park began construction recently in Siem Reap, a major city in Cambodia. The Belt and Road Initiative will drive the development of tourism industry along the route, including Cambodia. From January to May in 2018, Siem Reap received more than 500,000 tourists from China, an increase of 27 percent year on year. China-Cambodia cultural innovation park is invested by Yunnan Culture Industry Investment Holdings Co., Ltd. The first phase of the project is expected to be completed in early 2020.
Zimbabwe's premier airport to undergo Chinese-funded facelift -- Zimbabwe's main airport is set to undergo a major facelift to be funded by China as part of the government's efforts to transform the facility into a regional aviation hub. Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on July 30 commissioned the construction at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport by China Jiangsu International at a cost of 153 million U.S. dollars. The upgrading and expansion work will be carried out in three years to modernize the airport and boost its annual passenger handling capacity to 6 million from the current 2.5 million. The airport expansion is China Jiangsu's second airport development project in Zimbabwe in two years after it completed the upgrading of Victoria Falls International Airport in 2016, which trebled the airport's annual passenger handling capacity to 1.5 million.
Chinese firm wins bridges project in Hulhumalé Island of Maldives -- China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) won the bid to build five bridges in Hulhumalé Island of Maldives, with a contract value of 18.45 million U.S. dollars and duration of 339 days. The owner of the project is Housing Development Corporation Ltd. of Maldives and the project is funded by Saudi Development Fund. The project is one of the key programs of the government of Maldives to develop Hulhumalé Island and it's significant for improving transportation system and traffic of the island.
Chinese contractors start construction of Croatia's Peljesac Bridge -- Croatian state-owned highway operator Hrvatske Ceste (HC) handed over documents of Peljesac Bridge to Chinese contractors in the city of Ston in southern Croatia on July 30, marking the beginning of the 36-month construction period of the strategic infrastructure project. A Chinese consortium led by China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) won the bid for the first phase of the Peljesac Bridge and its access roads in January. Crossing the Mali Ston Bay over the Adriatic Sea, the bridge connects the southernmost Dubrovnik-Neretva County to the rest of the mainland, giving Croatia a land link bypassing territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Zambia to roll out China-funded digital TV project: official -- The Zambian government said Wednesday that it would roll out a China-funded digital television project across the country following its official launch in June. The project, part of the Access to Satellite TV for 10,000 African Villages, was officially launched by President Edgar Lungu in the eastern district of Vubwi, and will see 500 villages access satellite television services. Dora Siliya, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, said her ministry will soon start going to various parts of the country to establish sites for the project. The project is being undertaken by StarTimes Group and will be completed by the end of this year.
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