B&R Initiative opens up new prospects for China-Jordan cooperation

The infrastructure projects by Chinese enterprises bring tangible benefits to local residents in Jordan, an important country along the routes of the Belt and Road Initiative, People’s Daily reports.

Chinese enterprises, with their capital, equipment and technology, are popular in Jordan, a Jordanian newspaper comments.

A water supply network upgrading project conducted with Chinese aid in Zarqa, Jordan has recently been completed. It took the project undertaker, China Geo-Engineering Corporation (CGC) Middle East Branch, six months (three months in advance of schedule), to build the 3.37-kilometer long water pipeline.

Zhang Shuibao, vice manager of the branch, said, “Our workers overcame many difficulties to complete the project. We are deeply moved by local people visiting us with roast meat and fruits.”

The pipeline can deliver 520 cubic meters of water per hour to meet the needs of half a million residents, who previously could only have three to four hours of water supply a week.

After fulfilling the add-on cycle power plant contract of Samra's phase II projects in 2010, China's Shandong Electric Power Construction Corp III Electric Power Construction Corp. (SEPCO III) again became the EPC contractor for Samra’s Phase IV add-on combined cycle project and Hussein combined-cycle power plant in 2016.

The newly-signed two projects are also expected to effectively help solve power shortage in Jordan once finished.

Hu Shangxiu, the Hussein project’s manager assistant, said, “Winning of these bids shows Jordan has trust in us.”

The Hussein project has created more than 1,000 jobs for locals.

Hu said China-Jordan cooperation in areas including energy and infrastructure sets a good example for bilateral capacity cooperation. The projects have boosted local economic development via creating job opportunities and project procurements.

Also, Guangdong Yudean Group is cooperating with power companies from Malaysia and Estonia to build Attarat Power Plant, which will become Jordan’s largest power plant when it is finished in 2020 and will supply 10 to 15 percent of the country’s power consumption.  China provided around US$1.6 billion in fund for the US$ 2.1-billion-worth project. 

Pan Weifang, China’s ambassador to Jordan, said that construction of the oil shale-fueled power plant in the Attarat Um Ghudran area sets a good example for cooperation between the two countries under the Belt and Road Initiative.