CONSTRUCTION COOPERATION
Belt and Road projects bring concrete benefits to Aktogay in Kazakhstan By Xie Yahong
Each year, countless trains roar through Aktogay in eastern Kazakhstan, a main railway hub of the New Eurasian Continental Bridge. The town has seen additional revitalization due to its subterranean treasure, which lies beneath grasslands 30 km beyond the downtown area, in the form of a world-class copper mine with reserves of 1.85 billion tons. With China’s help, a recently launched dressing plant will unveil its precious deposits.
New techniques, new industry
Kazakhstan is the world’s largest landlocked state, and its vast lands possess abundant resources with huge potential. Historically, various events conspired to prevent the development of its industrial base, which meant that until now, the deep processing of natural resources was not feasible, leading to a loss in added value. But currently, the government is focusing on industrialization as a means to achieve the country’s development goals.
Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt during his visit to Kazakhstan in September 2013 and received a positive response. The leaders of the two countries reached a consensus on the alignment of their respective national development strategies and indicated that they had already begun to see the benefits of their cooperation on the Silk Road Economic Belt. Many Chinese enterprises are now expanding investment throughout various regions in Kazakhstan.
At the end of 2014, local Kazak businesses made the choice of signing a contract worth $530 million with China Non-Ferrous Metal Industry’s Foreign Engineering and Construction Co. Ltd. (NFC) to build a copper ore dressing plant. The Chinese side overcame a number of difficulties, such as tight construction deadlines, a harsh environment and complex customs clearance formalities for the necessary equipment. The factory commenced full operation in March.
Upon entering the project site, one is greeted by a 3-km-long conveyor belt, towering workshops and huge heaps of minerals. According to Wei Yuguang, general manager of the mine’s General Affairs Department, the project involved pouring 113,000 cubic meters of concrete, hoisting 17,000 tons of steelwork and laying 512,000 meters of cable—a scale of construction currently unmatched by any other Chinese overseas enterprises. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan’s insistence on Western standards of project supervision presented a new challenge to Chinese enterprises. After a period of adaptation, however, the Chinese side incorporated these standards into their work and managed to achieve “European standards at Chinese speed-levels.”
The project will spur economic development and bring benefits to local people. Kesimov is a surveyor from a small town nearby, and many of his fellow townsmen are also employed on the site. “I have been working here for more than a year and am satisfied with both the salary and the conditions,” he said. “After