Chinese-built railways empower locals to "fish on their own"

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By Xinhua writers Wu Baoshu, Jiang Li and Chang Tiantong (Xinhua) 08:29, October 08, 2023

* China has been involved in the construction of over 6,000 kilometers of railways, 6,000 kilometers of roads and more than 80 large power facilities in Africa over the past decade, according to official data.

* Over the past decade, more than 421,000 local jobs were created globally under Belt and Road cooperation. According to a World Bank report, Belt and Road projects could help lift 7.6 million people from extreme poverty and 32 million from moderate poverty worldwide by 2030.

BEIJING, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Driving a train that runs 350 kilometers per hour was once unimaginable for Wawan Setiawan, an Indonesian freight train driver with 10 years of experience. But now he is on track to be among the first high-speed train drivers in his country and, more broadly, Southeast Asia.

In 2020, when the China-Indonesia joint venture tasked with building the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway began recruiting train drivers, Wawan rushed to apply.

"Technology, operation, safety methods -- everything I learn is new and exciting," said Wawan, who has been receiving training from Chinese high-speed train drivers ever since.

This aerial photo taken on Sept. 30, 2023 shows a high-speed electrical multiple unit (EMU) train of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway running in Purwakarta, Indonesia. (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

"MY LIFE SPED UP"

Mu Zhen, Wawan's driving practice mentor, is the Chinese train driver for the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, which links Indonesia's capital with its fourth-largest city.

In an operation simulator, Mu told Wawan to ease as the Indonesian driver's right hand tightly gripped the speed control handle. "Tension may lead to misoperation as the handle has high sensitivity," Mu detailed the reason and guided Wawan to try again.

"I am excited to mentor Indonesian train drivers and happy to share my skills without reservation. I'm learning Indonesian to overcome language barriers," said Mu.

Mu arrived in Indonesia last October and has been preparing for the operation of the railway line. "The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway was built with Chinese standards and technology, so driving the high-speed train here feels the same as in China," said Mu.

A Chinese instructor (L) interacts with an Indonesian train driver on a train at a maintenance workshop of the Tegalluar Station in Bandung, Indonesia, Aug. 25, 2023. (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

A landmark project under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, the 142-kilometer Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway cuts the journey between the two cities from over three hours to roughly 40 minutes.

"The development of a high-speed railway will encourage a bigger economy because it will support faster mobility," said Wawan, adding that he hopes the high-speed railway can be extended to Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city and seaport.

"I studied hard and did my best to ensure that I could become one of the first high-speed train drivers in Indonesia and Southeast Asia," said Wawan.

"If life is a train that runs on a track, then my life just got sped up -- super fast, super exciting and full of hope," he said.

"FISH ON THEIR OWN"

China has been building rails, ports and other infrastructure with countries under Belt and Road cooperation that have helped boost regional connectivity and create jobs for locals.

The Lao section of the China-Laos Railway, launched in December 2021, has created more than 110,000 jobs. Twenty-four-year-old Sida Phengphongsawanh is one of them.

Sida became a train inspector at the China-Laos Railway Vientiane Operation Management Center in 2021 after studying electric automation in China for four years and receiving training in Chinese and railway knowledge at the Confucius Institute in Laos.

"The mentors here have been so patient since my internship. Because it was the first time we touched real trains, everything was new to us, and they taught us step by step in a patient way," she said.

Fifty-eight-year-old Wen Bin, Sida's Chinese mentor, has worked in Laos since October 2011. He said the Chinese personnel would ensure local staff members like Sida could work independently long after their Chinese colleagues left.

"We are recruiting new local personnel. Not many speak Chinese, so I hope Sida and her fellow colleagues can take up the responsibility of using their own language to teach the new generation," said Wen.

Lao staff members perform at the first cross-border passenger train from Kunming in southwest China's Yunnan Province to the Laotian capital Vientiane on April 13, 2023. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)