Connectivity Helps Kazakhstan's Economic Development (Jointly Building the "the Belt and Road" · First Site) Highway | Project | Connectivity
As an international transit transportation corridor connecting Europe with China and other Asian countries, the TKU highway project in Kazakhstan is about to be completed.
Photographed by Wang Tianxing
Facility connectivity is an important content and priority area for China and Kazakhstan to jointly build the "the Belt and Road" cooperation. The KM287-325 section of the Tardikurgan Karbatau Ustykamenogorsk National Highway Reconstruction Project, constructed by China Construction Xinjiang Construction Engineering Co., Ltd., is about to be completed. As an international transit transport corridor connecting Europe with China and other Asian countries, the project is an important part of the docking of China's "the Belt and Road" initiative and Kazakhstan's "Bright Road" new economic policy, providing an important channel for the interconnection of China and Kazakhstan and surrounding countries, and also greatly promoting the economic development of Kazakhstan. Recently, our reporter drove from Almaty, Kazakhstan for nearly 4 hours to visit the huge changes that the project construction has brought to the local area.
"Contribute to the high-quality development of the project"
The scorching sun scorched the earth, leaving few traces of human activity on the grasslands. This is a common sight on the vast territory of Kazakhstan.
The huge paving machine roared, and dozens of Kazakhstani workers and Chinese technicians were busy with the top layer of asphalt paving on the road under the scorching sun, making the final rush towards the completion of the TKU highway project.
The total length of three sections of the TKU highway project undertaken by a Chinese enterprise exceeds 150 kilometers, with a total cost of 1.2 billion yuan. The maximum designed speed in plain areas is 120 kilometers per hour. This project is all about road reconstruction, which means widening the existing road on one or both sides. The reporter saw that some roads were not designed with detours, so they had to use the original road surface for half construction. Vehicles came and went, and some of them had relatively large tonnage, making it not easy to carry out construction while guiding.
"The replacement of frozen heaving soil in wetlands, pile foundation construction, and complex meteorological and geological conditions have also brought challenges to the construction." Yerlan Maradovich, manager of Karaganda Branch of Kazakhstan Highway Corporation, said that the most difficult thing is that Chinese managers were once unable to enter Kazakhstan as scheduled due to the COVID-19, and there was a shortage of materials. Everyone was worried about how to complete production tasks on schedule. Under the coordination of both China and Kazakhstan, the technical management personnel of the project department coordinated and organized the construction, utilizing the resource advantages of local subcontractors to solve this problem. Now that the project is about to be completed and opened to traffic, Maradovich is very happy: "The infrastructure projects built with the help of Chinese enterprises have provided a basic guarantee for the local economic prosperity and become a bond of friendship between Kazakhstan and China."
When I saw Wu Jianbo, the project manager of TKU Highway, he was discussing safety measures for road construction with technical personnel from China and Kazakhstan. In April 2019, Wu Jianbo, who had over 20 years of experience in road construction, came to Kazakhstan. At that time, he did not expect that he would return to his home country in November 2021. Faced with numerous challenges, Wu Jianbo led his team to create one impressive achievement after another: since the start of construction, the completion rate of the project's target output value has always ranked first among all sections; Take the lead in completing the paving of the asphalt lower layer for the entire section; The image progress and completion ratio of bridge structures, ancillary facilities and other engineering projects rank first; In 2020 and 2021, they both won first place in the "100 Day Labor Competition" held by the owners. On July 9, 2023, the upper layer of asphalt pavement was fully connected
Being in a foreign land for nearly a thousand days and nights has made Wu Jianbo feel indebted to his family. He said, "One day, my wife called me and said that my son told other children he didn't have a father. Hearing this, I felt very uncomfortable." "Do you regret it?" the reporter asked. "Not regretting, having hardships, difficulties, and loneliness is the norm in work. Since we are going abroad, we must contribute to the high-quality development of projects with a responsible and serious work attitude."
"Working in a Chinese enterprise makes me feel fulfilled and happy."
Sagging and capable, this is the first impression that Gulistan Hasmuhan brought to reporters, and Chinese employees in the project department affectionately refer to her as "Guli". She is conducting daily safety checks in the dormitory of the Harbin employees in the project department, from Usalar City, Almaty. She carefully checks the safety conditions of water and electricity in the dormitory.
After starting work in 2014, due to a lack of office skills, Guli could only do odd jobs on multiple construction sites, and her income was very unstable. In 2018, the construction of the TKU highway project began, and Guli joined China Construction Xinjiang Construction Engineering Kazakhstan Branch as the first batch of Kazakhstani employees. From an ordinary office employee to today's office manager, Guli witnessed the process of the TKU highway project from the first desert exploration to the near completion. In her own words, it was "Chinese enterprises cultivating my growth.". "When I first arrived at the project, I met a very good Chinese teacher who patiently taught me how to use office software and fill out various work reports. Now, not only can I independently complete various tasks such as project logistics support, but my income has also increased from 200000 tenge per month to 350000 tenge per month. The living conditions at home have greatly improved," said Guli.
Due to the lack of job opportunities in the local area, many villagers used to travel far from their hometowns to big cities such as Almaty and Astana, but their income was quite limited due to the lack of specific skills. During the construction process of the TKU highway project, a large number of employment opportunities were provided for the areas along the line, and more than 200 people participated in road construction and related work in Akenshala Village near the project department alone.
Teach people to fish, but more importantly, teach them to fish. The core of the team, composed of skilled Chinese technical workers and mechanical operators, provides hands-on guidance to Harbin employees in daily work through "leading, regular training, and monthly assessment". This not only improves the skill level of Harbin employees, but also enables them to operate independently in some positions.
Wu Jianbo pointed to a young man driving an emulsified asphalt distributor not far away and said, "He is Saimaitihan Nurbek, who joined in 2020. Initially, he was an on-site translator, but he worked hard and studied hard. He followed Chinese technicians to learn vehicle driving, emulsified asphalt processing, filling, heating and other skills. Now, he is a technical backbone of the company and can proficiently operate special equipment on construction sites."
After finishing his morning work, Saimaitihan Nurbek took off his sunscreen face mask and told the reporter, "Over the years, I have grown from a translator to a section chief, and now I am responsible for on-site road construction, construction machinery and equipment management, and coordination and cooperation with Harbin employees. Working in a Chinese enterprise, I feel very fulfilled and happy, and I believe I can learn more professional knowledge and skills."
"They gave these impoverished children hope to change their destiny."
"Today, on behalf of the villagers of Akensala Village, I am sending a thank-you letter to our Chinese friends, thanking Chinese companies for their valuable help in the face of difficulties. We are grateful for the contributions made by Chinese companies to improve our living conditions and income levels. In the future, the difficulties of our Chinese friends will be our difficulties, and we will work hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder to solve them together. As long as we unite, there is nothing we cannot do!" As Akensala Village Chief Snarlbeck said, he handed the carefully framed thank-you letter to Wu Jianbo, and their hands were tightly held together.
During the on-site interview of the TKU highway project, the reporter encountered such a brief and simple thank-you ceremony.
Snarlbeck told reporters, "In the past, it took three to four hours for us villagers to drive to Tardikurgan City for work. Now that the road is repaired, it takes only half an hour to go there for work. The villagers are very happy and give a thumbs up when they see Chinese people."
During the construction of the TKU highway project, China Construction Xinjiang Engineering Group not only contributed to the infrastructure construction of Kazakhstan, but also actively fulfilled its social responsibility and benefited the people along the line.
Since 2018, China Construction Xinjiang Construction Engineering Group has been in contact with Akenshala Village Primary School near the project site. Upon learning that there were children in the village who were unable to continue their education due to family poverty, the project department decided to carry out a learning assistance activity, giving school uniforms and learning supplies to 20 impoverished children in the village. Snarlbeck was serving as the principal of Akenshala Village Primary School at the time, and his phone still holds photos of Chinese companies donating to aid students at that time. He pointed to the photo and said to the reporter, "Look, the children are laughing so happily. Thank you to Chinese companies, they have given these impoverished children hope to change their destiny."
In February 2021, the main roads of villages near the project site were severely damaged by floods. China Construction Xinjiang Construction Engineering immediately organized a youth assault team to rush to the site, using large construction machinery. After three days of intensive repair, the road was finally fully repaired. The nearby residents sent local specialties and held the hands of the project staff, saying, "Thank you to my Chinese friends!"
In the conference room of the project department, there are thank-you letters issued by governments at all levels along the TKU highway project since its construction. Wu Jianbo said, "Although it's just a piece of paper, a thank-you letter carries a thousand words of friendship that we want to express. Being recognized by the local government and the public is a commendation for our construction. We are also willing to continue to work hard and make more contributions to serving local society and promoting people's understanding."
