BEIJING, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed three years ago, remarkable progress has been made in the infrastructure interconnection, according to a report marking the third anniversary of the Belt and Road construction released by the Renmin University of China.
Infrastructure interconnection is a priority in the Belt and Road construction. China and countries along the Belt and Road routes have constantly strengthened cooperation in fields of infrastructure technical standard system, infrastructure network connection, energy infrastructure interconnection and the IT application along the routes, and jointly built the infrastructure network linking sub-regions of Asia, and continents of Asia, Europe and Africa, said the report.
In the past three years, meetings and forums of discussing the Chinese standards' conformity with those in countries along the routes were held from place to place. Paths of bringing the Chinese standard into line with those in countries along the routes have been initially formed.
On October 22, 2015, China released an action plan of standard interconnection under the Belt and Road (2015-2017), which specified ten development directions, with the aim to explore standard mutual recognition procedures and work mechanism under the Belt and Road Initiative and accelerate the standard mutual recognition.
The top-level programs and standard interconnection schemes formulated by China and those countries along the routes involves 13 important fields including infrastructure construction and investment, trade, energy, finance, industry, logistics and transportation, standard and identification, environmental protection, agriculture, humanity information, think tank cooperation and local cooperation.
In the past three years, China has constantly accelerated the transportation infrastructure construction with countries along the routes. The Chinese state-owned enterprises have also actively participated in the transportation infrastructure construction.
By June 30, 2016, China had opened a total of 39 China-Europe freight rail routes, marking an infrastructure network linking sub-regions of Asia, and continents of Asia, Europe and Africa has taken shape initially.
From the Belt and Road Initiative proposed to June 30, 2016, the large state-owned enterprises such as China Railway Group Limited and the China Communications Construction had undertaken as many as 38 demonstration transportation infrastructure projects involving 26 countries along the routes.
In addition, on the domestic market, China has built 15 new airports, transformed or expanded 28 airports in provinces along the routes. In the civil aviation project list for 2015 formulated by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, there were 51 "Belt and Road" strategic projects with investments totaling 200 billion yuan.
From October 2013 to June 30, 2016, the Chinese state-owned enterprises were involved in 40 contract signing and construction of overseas power plants, power transmission and oil and gas transmission projects, of which 19 were in the countries along the routes.
The Chinese nuclear power enterprises have carried out cooperation with Romania, Britain, Pakistan and Argentina, while the Chinese hydropower enterprises have coopered with countries such as Angola, Brazil, Nepal, Pakistan and Argentina.
To be specific, the Pakistani Karot hydropower project is the first overseas project invested by the Silk Road Fund after its establishment.
In the first half of the year alone, China has reached cooperation with countries along the routes on 16 energy projects.
Besides, telecommunication enterprises led by China Unicom, China Telecom and China Mobile are quickening the pace to advance the transmission system construction in the countries and regions along the routes.
At present, China can reach North America, Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Australia, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe through the international submarine cables. (Edited by Hu Pingchao, hupingchao@xinhua.org)
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