Local life: China-Kazakhstan joint construction project, a turning point for Nico

Source of the video: Outstanding Representative Micro Video about Local Life along the Belt and Road in 2021--"A Story about Qalbatay-Maykapshagay Highway Project and Myself" (provided by Overseas Construction and Development Co., Ltd. of China Railway 14th Bureau Group Corporation (CR14G))

Nico, 27, is a Kazakh engineer working on the Qalbatay-Maykapshagay Highway project of CR14G. He has been working on the project for three years by this October. Over the past three years, he has grown with the project together, from a Kazakh translator to an experienced road and bridge engineer, realizing his long-cherished dream of being an engineer. He said that it is the great Belt and Road Initiative that has deepened the friendship between China and Kazakhstan, and the China-Kazakhstan joint construction project is a turning point for him.

Qalbatay-Maykapshagay Highway starts in Qalbatay in central East Kazakhstan, passing through Kokpekty, Tuger and Zaysan, and ends in Maykapshagay. It links with the S319 Highway (from Jimunai port to Altay, Xinjiang, China), with a total length of 415.2 kilometers, and is an important channel connecting eastern Kazakhstan and Xinjiang, China.

The No.9 lot of Qalbatay-Maykapshagay Highway is the first project of CR14G after entering the Kazakh market. Under the Belt and Road Initiative, CR14G promoted localized management and cultivated a number of Kazakh technicians like Nico, which facilitated local economic and social development, brought tangible benefits to the local people, and largely alleviated the difficulties faced by Chinese technicians in entering the construction site due to the epidemic.

"I used to think I could only do translation as I lacked relevant experience. But after I met my good friend Li Xuwei, everything changed. During the three years, I learned a lot of knowledge on construction technology from Li Xuwei, head of the project engineering department. He is not only a very good Chinese friend of mine, but also a very competent teacher. He respects our national cultural differences and gets along with us, which makes many Kazakhs including me feel the friendship and respect of Chinese people and gives us a deep sense of belonging to the project," said Nico.

"Due to the road conditions and routes, it takes me 40 minutes to travel from my home to the nearest county, which is only 10 kilometers away. The Yidenie Bridge, which I'm working on, will greatly shorten the travel time and reduce traffic accidents caused by road conditions," said Nico.

The construction of Qalbatay-Maykapshagay Highway is of great significance to strengthening the link between the Belt and Road Initiative and Kazakhstan's Bright Road Initiative, improving the road functional network in eastern Kazakhstan, and developing regional economy and road transportation along the route.

"We hope that Qalbatay-Maykapshagay Highway, which was built jointly by the Chinese and Kazakh peoples and symbolizes China-Kazakhstan friendship, will open to traffic soon and make our life more convenient. We also hope that China-Kazakhstan friendship will last for a long time," said Nico.