Cargo train sets out from Qingdao to Moscow -- A cargo train set out from Qingdao on June 24, and is due to arrive at Moscow 22 days later. The Qingdao-Moscow cargo train would run a route of 7,900 kilometers, and saves about 30 days from the traveling time of sea route. This cargo train, scheduled once a month, would deliver mechanical equipment, tire rubber, and home appliances made in Shandong province and building and fireproofing materials made in Henan province to Moscow. The return train is expected to start operation within this year.
Flight between Sihanoukville and Wuxi launched -- A flight from Sihanoukville in Cambodia to Wuxi in China has been launched on June 25 at the Sihanoukville international airport. Cambodia's Sky Angkor Airlines is to fly the international flight on every Friday and Sunday.
China to extend highway cargo link to Southeast Asia -- A regular road cargo service between southwest China's Chongqing Municipality and Bangkok will start operations in July, local authorities said. Chongqing has planned three routes to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), according to the Chongqing municipal transportation authorities. The eastern route from Chongqing to Hanoi in Vietnam is already in operation. In July, the middle route will connect Chongqing, through Vientiane in Laos and on to Bangkok. The 96-hour journey covers 2,800 kilometers. The third, the western route which goes from Chongqing to Yangon of Myanmar, will start open at the end of this year or the beginning of next, said He Zonghai, director of Chongqing transportation group.
Belt and Road Innovation Center for Desert Green Economy launched in China's Kubuqi Desert -- The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the China Elion Foundation, which is established by Chinese desert-control company Elion Group, co-launch a Belt and Road Innovation Center for Desert Green Economy in Kubuqi Desert of north China's Inner Mongolia. China has managed to restore around 6,000 square kilometers of Kubuqi Desert, the country's 7th largest, over 25 years. The center will share China's experiences and technology with countries along the Belt and Road and beyond.
Chinese and Kyrgyz educators sign agreement to further cooperation -- An agreement on Cooperation and Joint Establishment of the Union of Social and Human Sciences was signed between Shanxi Normal University of China and the National Academy of Sciences of Kyrgyzstan on June 26. This agreement, initiated under the One Belt One Road initiative, provides the two parties with project cooperation, training of personnel, joint use of scientific resources, the creation of an intellectual databank and cultural exchange.
Chinese funded Ethio-Djibouti water project to be inaugurated soon -- The Ethiopia-Djibouti cross border potable water project will be finalized and commence operation in about three months, according to Demelash Mulu, project manager. The water project funded by the Export-Import Bank of China is under construction by the Chinese company CGCOC. The project, which is expected to provide safe drinking water for more than 700,000 Djibouti nationals, was tested three weeks ago and proved successful, Ethiopian local media FBC quoted Demelash Mulu, manager of the project, as saying on June 27. The Ethiopia-Djibouti water project, dubbed as one of the largest water projects in Africa, was launched in 2015 in a bid to solve the drinking water problem in Djibouti as well as to deepen ties between the two neighboring countries.
Kenya, China to ink deal on tea trade in July -- Kenya and China are set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on tea trade in July, a Kenyan official said on June 27. Head of the Tea Directorate Samuel Ogola told Xinhua in Nairobi that under the agreement Kenya tea's industry will receive training on how to process tea that will appeal to Chinese consumers. The agreement will be signed in China by Kenya's Ambassador to China and the China Tea Marketing Association.
Pan-Asia's Saudi project to break ground next March -- Pan-Asia PET Resin (Guangzhou) Co, one of the top three polyethylene terephthalate bottle suppliers in China, anticipates its USD3.8 billion petrochemical project in Saudi Arabia will break ground next March and the first phase of the complex will become operational in August 2020. The project, to be located in Jazan Economic City in southwestern Saudi Arabia, includes facilities for the annual production of 2.5 million metric tons of purified terephthalic acid, 1 million tons of PET, 200,000 tons of engineering plastic, 200,000 tons of thin film, 200,000 tons of polyester fiber and 5,000 tons of heavy equipment. The project will be the first petrochemical project wholly owned by a foreign investor in Saudi Arabia, which would be a milestone, said Du Qunlong, Asia-Pacific regional director of performance technologies at Invista, a US-based chemicals company. (Source: China Daily)
Chinese firm on shortlist to run UK link -- Guangshen Railway Co, a Chinese state-owned company that operates a high-speed line between Guangdong and Shenzhen, is part of a consortium that has been shortlisted to run the United Kingdom's planned HS2 high-speed line, the British government announced. It is the first Chinese company to be part of a shortlist for a British rail project. Guangshen has joined forces with a group that includes Hong Kong Metro Operator MTR, accountancy firm Deloitte and WSP Parsons Brinckerhof, bidding to operate Britain's existing West Coast Line, and then the HS2 route between London and Birmingham. The shortlist for the project includes two other groups, First Trenitalia West Coast and West Coast Partnership. The HS2 line is due to start operating by 2026. (Source: China Daily)
COSCO Shipping to build new floating tank in Perama, Piraeus -- China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited has announced new moves that are expected to change the shipbuilding sector in Perama, Piraeus. According to an announcement of the Piraeus Port Authority, Cosco is planning the construction of a new floating tank - 240 m long, 35 m inboard, 22,000 tons lifting capacity and full crane equipment - for ships with a capacity of 80,000 tons that will be ready in November 2017. COSCO Shipping has announced that an additional 300,000 tonne panamax floating tank will be in place in 2018 depending on market needs. (Source: Athens News Agency)
Gas giant Santos enters new strategic partnership with Chinese investors -- One of Australia's largest natural gas producers, Santos, has launched a new strategic partnership with existing Chinese shareholders on June 27. The two Chinese interests, ENN Group and Hony Capital hold a combined 15.1-percent stake in Santos, and the new arrangement will see "mutual cooperation and assistance" from both sides to spur the growth-based strategy in Australia and Papua New Guinea currently being adopted by the gas giant. The new deal will see the door opened up for more opportunities into the burgeoning Chinese market for Santos, as well as the potential to engage in co-investment in expansion and acquisitions between the companies.
Deal to connect Cameroon -- China United Network Communications signed an agreement with Cameroon Telecommunications and Huawei Marine Networks on June 27 to establish the South Atlantic Inter Link (SAIL). Under the agreement, China Unicom will be responsible for the construction, as well as the operation and maintenance of the cable network, while Huawei Marine will offer systematic solutions. The signing of the agreement means the SAIL project has entered the implementation phase. Spanning about 6,000 kilometers, the SAIL cable network will link Kribi in Cameroon with Fortaleza in Brazil. The submarine cable project is designed to possess the largest data transmission capacity between Africa and South America, as well as provide high-quality and reliable intercontinental telecom services. (Source: China Daily)
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