Jiang Fan: The World Amazed at Chinese-built Infrastructure Projects
Photo shows Jiang Fan, Deputy General Manager of the External Relations Department of the General Manager Department for the Malaysia East Coast Railway Project, China Communications Construction Company, and the Assistant General Manager of the South Pacific Regional Management Center of China Harbor Engineering Company.
A long railway ran from the small town of Gemas in Negeri Sembilan along the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia to its southern tip. The trains on this line moved slowly, with outdated equipment and few passengers. There was always a young Chinese in the empty passenger car, with a digital camera often at his side. He would walk out to take pictures at every stop, not of distant jungle sceneries or beautiful temples, but of the old railway facilities.
“Diesel locomotives were used in this railway, which fell short of specification, and it took 6 hours to run for a journey of 200 to 300 kilometers. Since 2011, we have implemented a railway electrification upgrade program in Malaysia and this railway would undergo a dual-line electrification upgrade. After the upgrade, the 6-hour journey could be shortened to 3 hours and passengers would feel more comfortable on board.” This young man is Jiang Fan, always travelling by train and inspecting railways on site. He is the Deputy General Manager of the External Relations Department of the General Manager Department for the Malaysia East Coast Railway Project, China Communications Construction Company, and the Assistant General Manager of the South Pacific Regional Management Center of China Harbor Engineering Company.
Jiang Fan was dispatched by China Harbor Engineering Company to take a post in Malaysia after graduation from university, and he has been working there for 12 years, contributing to the in-depth exchanges between the two countries and the Belt and Road construction. After years of efforts devoted to this place, Malaysia has already been his second homeland. China Communications Construction Company, a large state-owned infrastructure construction enterprise which actively promotes overseas cooperation, has become a broad platform to realize his dreams. Far away from the family, life by no means easy in a foreign land, he has committed himself to the cause of the country, adding luster to his youth.
A Sense of Vocation from a Train Driver
As Jiang Fan always took the same train with his camera, the train driver noticed him.
“Where are you from, interested in trains?” Finally during the break when the train arrived at a station one day, the driver asked Jiang Fan. He was a Malaysian around 60, in grease-stained clothes, with a cigarette always in his mouth.
I’m a Chinese engineer. We would like to upgrade this railway to double-track electrification. After that, the original 6-hour journey would only take 3 hours, and the passengers would feel more comfortable so that more would like to take the train.”
The driver was rather excited about the news, and “his eyes sparkled”, which Jiang Fan remembered clearly. He invited Jiang Fan to the cab, so that “better pictures could be taken”. He also told Jiang Fan his own story, following his father’s footsteps as a train driver after graduation. “Railways in Malaysia began to be built during the British colonial period and have not been upgraded much since Malaysia’s independence in 1957. There are already two other lines under electrification double track reconstruction but no progress in this one.” He has spent all his life driving this line, complaining about the outdated equipment and prolonged time span. “It is my biggest wish that I could drive on the electrified railway, leaving no regret in my career.”
Jiang Fan was touched by his story and told him: “currently the Chinese and Malaysian governments are cooperating on the upgrade program of this railway. Under the construction of a Chinese company, the railway would be double tracked with electric locomotives at speed of 160km/h.”
Emotional with gratitude, the driver said: “Among all the foreigners coming to our country, I think most highly of the Chinese people, and feel very grateful to you for participating in the infrastructure construction, building bridges and roads for us in Malaysia.”
“Since then, every time I took this train, he would lead me to the cab, and tell me sections of the roadbed that were in bad conditions or those that often collapsed, reminding us to pay attention during the future upgrade. Each time we met, he would ask me when the project would start and when to end, and I always assured him that it would soon be finished, certainly before your retirement.” It is really a pity that the project didn’t start until 2018 due to various reasons, and he lost touch with the train driver during this time, failing to tell him that the project has begun. “I hope he would take this train as a passenger when the project finishes,” Jiang Fan said.
More than a decade has passed, during which too many experiences and stories have filled his life in Malaysia, from ups and downs of business negotiations, project crises caused by political turmoil, to resumption of work in the harsh circumstances of pandemic, but the special bond between him and the ordinary train driver has sustained Jiang Fan to strive hard in his career abroad.
Young and Determined, He Set Sail to Pursue Dreams Afar
In 2008 when Beijing was preparing for the Olympic Games, the infrastructure industry has gained unprecedented development opportunities. Many college students participated in project internships in Olympic Village and Jiang Fan, a civil engineering graduate from Beijing Jiaotong University, was among them.
Jiang Fan’s heart was brimming with emotions at the sight of more and more high buildings rising from the ground and the successful completion of the Bird Nest and Water Cube. “As infrastructure industry needs experience accumulated from work, I decided to start my career when the industry was in rapid development so that more experience could be gathered.” Jiang Fan did not choose to study abroad or postgraduate studies. Instead, he planned to join a construction company to become a project manager, or to a real estate company where he would develop and operate real estate projects, “at that time I had not considered about devoting in infrastructure industry overseas.”
Then he received an interview invitation from China Harbor Engineering Company. The first question from the interviewer was whether he would agree to work overseas for a long period. “I understand that China Harbor is a company conducting foreign business where employees’ overseas working is inevitable. That is to say, I have already prepared psychologically of working abroad when I decided to take the job in China Harbor, but I have never expected that I would work overseas for more than a decade consecutively.”
Jiang Fan worked in the market development department of the company’s headquarters during his first year in China Harbor. At that time, he was in the dark about terms such as EPC, BOT, frameworks, credit insurance discussed by his colleagues, and he also did not understand contract terms from the piles of English contracts. “At that time, I was completely new to the knowledge of overseas infrastructure.”
Faced with things that have never been taught in university, Jiang Fan started from most basic work assignment such as printing and copying. Gradually he began to deal with application for letters of guarantee, prequalification documents, making PPT and presentation, etc. “I believe that any work is based on multiple trivial issues. I learned from the very beginning from my colleagues and tried to finish each basic task meticulously. Such endeavors would reward me someday.”
In 2009 Jiang Fan was appointed to Malaysia when employees for marketing were needed there. Although he anticipated this day when he accepted the job in China Harbor, when the day did come, he still felt nervous “about the unfamiliar environment abroad and family members living apart”. “But since I have chosen this path of project contracting, I would stick to it with confidence.” He used to dreaming about going around the world, having a glimpse of diversified cultures and people. When the chance came for experiencing a very different working environment, his steps were firm. “We should take risks when young.”
Jiang Fan’s wife is his college classmate. They spent a lot of time considering the job in China Harbor. “We were optimistic then, estimating about two to three years’ long distance relationship when I worked abroad. After she finished her postgraduate study, I would transfer to positions in China. Then we could buy our house and get married. I didn’t expect to stay abroad for more than ten years.”
Before departure, his fiancée gave him a camera as gift. At the time when there was no Wechat and smart phones, their video chat was like a slide show due to bad Internet access. For eight years, they had only met once or twice a year during vacations. Looking back on those days, Jiang Fan was emotional: “For me, I would overcome difficulties posed by living in a foreign land no matter how hard it is, but being away from home and family members for long time is the greatest regret for all those working abroad.” “I feel more strongly when I talked to senior colleagues who went abroad in the 1990s when the living conditions were much harsher. At that time, they rarely made phone calls, let alone video chats. When the world is amazed by China’s infrastructures, we should never forget the sacrifices and contributions made by the families of the project workers.”
Dedication to the Friendship between China and Malaysia
Nowadays, China’s booming economy and improving product quality have greatly changed the image of “made-in China” in Malaysia, compared with the time when Jiang Fan firstly arrived more than a decade ago.
CRRC has invested a locomotive factory in Malaysia and locomotives produced are widely used in Malaysian rail transportation. Geely Group has acquired Proton, the largest automobile company in Malaysia and the first model manufactured through technology export is very popular there. Alibaba has acquired the largest e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia, bringing Chinese products to millions of households in Malaysia. “In recent years, the bilateral trade volume between China and Malaysia has been maintained at around 100 billion US dollars, and China has been Malaysia’s top trade partner for 11 consecutive years. These outcomes are all due to the increasing confidence in Chinese products from all walks of life in Malaysia,” said Jiang Fan.
Jiang Fan has felt more so in the field of construction. Project contracting has always been a key area of economic and trade cooperation between China and Malaysia. Dating back to 2007, China Harbor has conducted the Project of Second Cross-Sea Bridge of Penang in Malaysia, the first inter-governmental cooperation project. It requires strict technical standard, with the design service life of 120 years, and it would become the longest cross-sea bridge in Southeast Asia when completed. Since 2015, China Harbor has begun the Kuantan Deepwater Port and Breakwater Project, which has successfully compensated the defects of the local contractor and completed the project on time with high quality. At present, CCCC is working on the East Coast Railway Project, the largest economic and trade cooperation project between China and Malaysia. When finished, it would become the main artery bridging the east and west coasts, promoting economic development and living standards.
In early 2013, China Harbor bid for the Kuantan Deepwater Port Breakwater Project. The project is situated in Kuantan City of Pahang State, along the east coast of Malaysia. As the Malaysia-China Industrial Park is also located there, a new port needs to be built to improve its logistics capabilities. The east coast of Malaysia suffers two monsoons during the middle and end of the year, and it is necessary to build a 4.6-kilometer breakwater to resist winds and waves. The construction of this project is very difficult. Building stones need to be transported for filling from nearly a hundred kilometers away without affecting the operation of the existing port and the construction of the new port, and the 12.5-ton breakwater protection blocks of 4 meters long and wide need to be installed in such harsh environment.
Out of local protectionism, the Malaysian government eventually awarded the contract to a local company. The contracting company is an old maritime engineering company, but in the end it failed to fulfill the contract due to the difficulty in construction, leaving half of the project unfinished and major quality defects. If the project could not be completed smoothly, the operation of the port and the Malaysia-China Industrial Park would be seriously affected.
“Under such circumstances, the project owner terminated the contract with the local company and found us again, hoping that we could take over halfway, complete the project, and repair the defects." For such project, construction is difficult while the renovation is even harder. The 12.5-ton protection blocks that have already been installed need to be hoisted and then reinstalled under the cooperation of the crane and the diver. “We decided to take over this hot potato, so that the enterprises in the Industrial Park could conduct business on time.”
Faced with challenges and difficulties, Jiang Fan and the team worked day and night to complete the construction and restoration before the port in operation, paving the way for the operation of Kuantan Deepwater Port and manufacturing work in the Industrial Park. The project owner sincerely appreciated the contribution from China Harbor and fully recognized China’s construction capabilities. “These projects have won the recognition from the Malaysian people and shaped the international reputation of Chinese construction.” Jiang Fan has contributed Chinese wisdom to build a bridge between China and Malaysia.
After the outbreak of COVID-19 in China at the end of 2019, medical supplies were in short supply. Malaysian Chinese and overseas Chinese generously donated medical supplies to China. At that time, depending on its advantages, the General Manager Department of the Malaysia East Coast Railway Project also raised medical supplies through coordination. “During that time, I fully felt the unprecedented unity and strong patriotic enthusiasm of overseas Chinese. Those loving materials have expressed the longing and love toward the motherland from the overseas Chinese.”
"For this battle against the pandemic, China would fight for the first half, the world the second half, and overseas Chinese would fight the whole." Jiang Fan has been busy during the entire battle. After the pandemic has been effectively controlled in China, the situation in Malaysia was more urgent and severe, and pandemic prevention materials were in short supply. Responding to the call of the Chinese Embassy in Malaysia, the General Manager Department of CCCC Malaysia East Coast Railway Project attached great importance to the prevention and control of the company’s own pandemic situation, raised materials and donated them to Malaysian people. They have made a positive contribution to the pandemic control in Malaysia.
Jiang Fan coordinated with the embassy, medical material manufacturers, logistics channels and recipients to ensure timely donations of materials. At the donation ceremony, Bai Tian, the former Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia, spoke highly of CCCC’s rapid response and active assistance. He pointed out that all walks of life in China were highly concerned about the pandemic in Malaysia and would lend a helping hand to Malaysia. As long as China and Malaysia are united in dealing with the pandemic in a scientific way, we would win the fight against the virus and overcome difficulties together.
“At that time, I also learned a Malaysian proverb: we should climb mountains and cross ditches side by side. As Ambassador Bai Tian said, China and Malaysia are brothers helping each other. There are no dangers that cannot be overcome, as long as we are joined hand in hand.”
New Opportunities in Belt and Road Construction
Since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed, cooperation between ASEAN countries and China has achieved fruitful results. Malaysia is one of the first countries along the route to participate in and support the Belt and Road Initiative. On this basis, the governments and enterprises of the two countries have in-depth cooperation which have successfully conducted key economic and trade cooperation projects such as the East Coast Railway and the Industrial Park.
Regarding how to “go global” in the framework of Belt and Road Initiative, Jiang Fan believes that the cooperation and project selection should be based on the principles of consultation, contribution and shared benefits, guided by open cooperation, mutual benefit and win-win. Especially in the early stages of the project, we should attach importance to economic viability analysis, following economic laws and market principles. “For a whole life cycle of the project, the preliminary screening, planning and evaluation are important links. A standardized and complete economic viability analysis determines whether the project can actually bring social and economic benefits to the construction enterprise and the host country, and whether it can stand the test of time.”
In Jiang Fan’s view, due to the management system and business model, localized operation has always been the vulnerable part of our engineering contracting enterprises. Competitiveness and sustainable development could only be achieved through localized operation, localized management system and corporate governance structure. “In the process of marketing, it is important to integrate and cooperate with local resources for better complementary advantages and resource sharing, in order to share risks and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results.”
“With different political systems, economic development levels and industry policies and regulations, we need to formulate corresponding marketing strategies.” The infrastructure industry where Jiang Fan is in is mostly for governments and major clients, and long-time engagement in the marketing management has sharpened his sensitivity to politics. “The political stability and decision-making system of the host country are vital for an important project to be carried out smoothly. The marketing would be oriented by pillar industries, key development zones and the current level of infrastructure. Moreover, research on industry regulations and policies is also essential. Only by fully understanding the laws and regulations and doing risk analysis can we avoid taking the wrong path or suffering setback.” These are his basic skills and things of concern and under study since he took this job.
On the other hand, in the process of “going global” in the framework of Belt and Road Initiative, Jiang Fan has attached great importance to compliance risks, strictly abided by legal procedures and institutional guidelines, as well as corporate behavioral standards and professional ethics. “For Chinese companies engaging in international projects, we should firstly respect, understand and follow the international rules, obtaining the respect and recognition from the host country before revision and formulation of new rules. Now to do this is especially important in a period of major change rarely seen in a century and current turbulent political environment of many countries.
“In the first year of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan (from 2021 to 2025) and Malaysia’s 12th Malaysia Plan, we should keep pace with the times and seize opportunities for new infrastructure development, in areas such as 5G infrastructure, urban railway transportation, big data centers, artificial intelligence, industrial Internet, where we could invigorate enterprises with new opportunities,” Jiang Fan said, “In doing marketing, we never wait for the opportunities to come. Most of the times, we do research in advance, capturing the development opportunity accurately. Only by creating opportunities and becoming a leader in the promising field, can we occupy a leading position in the market.”
When companies attach more importance to the concept of sustainable development in the Belt and Road construction, the number of projects with high emissions that would heavily pollute the environment has tapered off, while more companies have devoted in cooperation involving sustainable development, green investment and technological innovation. Jiang Fan believes that cooperation in the fields of sustainable production capacity and high-tech should play an important role in the Belt and Road construction. “At present, the clean energy such as hydropower, wind power and photovoltaic is of great market potential in countries along the route. The companies should grasp such opportunities and create new economic growth points in the production capacity cooperation of sustainable development.”
