Belt and Road Initiative: Africa-China need to improve quality, boost cooperation for better results

Africa and China will cooperate under the Belt and Road Initiative by improving the quality and safety of projects, a Chinese official said on March 19.

According to Xinhua, Huang Guoliang, Director General of Quality Development Bureau, State Administration for Market Regulation in China told a forum in Kenya's capital Nairobi that the Belt and Road Initiative belongs both to China and also the world, because it's built on the principle of seeking shared benefits through extensive consultation and joint contribution among cooperating partners. The forum is seeking to better implement and realize the initiative, by addressing some of the difficulties and challenges during implementation.

"In view of the inconsistency of national standards along the Belt and Road, it is necessary to strengthen the cooperation and integration of standards between countries along Belt and Road, so as to achieve better results of project implementation," Huang opined.

The event has brought together representatives from UN agencies, the International Federation of Consulting Engineers, government agencies, Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM), Association of Consulting Engineers Kenya, Association of Consulting Engineers Tanzania, Association of Consulting Engineers Morocco, as well as representatives from Chinese companies that are investing in Africa.

Currently, 123 countries and 29 international organizations have signed Belt and Road Initiative cooperation documents with China, making the initiative the world's leading platform for international cooperation. The Chinese official said that the Belt and Road Initiative has also become an important practice in building a community of shared future for mankind.

"Though faced with many difficulties, still fruitful results have been achieved," Huang added, noting that a number of infrastructure projects have been interconnected and many projects have been negotiated and built together, bringing win-win results under the joint efforts of countries along the Belt and Road Initiative.

Huang noted that the ultimate goal of the Belt and Road Initiative project cooperation is to improve the quality of life of the local people through various projects, and the criteria to assess the projects' success are whether these projects have improved the well-being of the locals. "In the process of building the Belt and Road projects in China and Africa, we should not only pay attention to economic benefits, but also to social benefits, especially adhering to the people-oriented principle, and strictly adhere to the standards and requirements of environment protection, health and safety," Huang further said.

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