The 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative| The "Thousand and One Nights" of the Abu Dhabi Branch
An Arab proverb says:“Language is the leaf, action is the fruit.”
In 2013, President Xi Jinping proposed to build“New Silk Road Economic Belt”and“The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road”major initiatives. In the past ten years, CJI has actively practiced co-construction“Belt and Road”The initiative has yielded fruitful results. Zhongjiang Design Institute has also followed the pace of the times and actively invested in the joint construction.
The Sino-Arab (United Arab Emirates) Capacity Cooperation Demonstration Park is a service country.“Belt and Road”It is the first major cooperation project in the country.“Belt and Road”Capacity Cooperation Park, the project is jointly implemented by CJI and a number of units. Starting from 2017, Zhongjiang Design Institute will actively participate in the planning and design of the industrial park. With the approval of the Group, the UAE Branch will be formally established in 2019.
Overseas architectural design work seems to be little different from domestic, but it is not easy. First of all, there are differences in specifications and standards. The United Arab Emirates uses the specifications of British and American standards, including fire protection, environmental protection, water and electricity and some special requirements of the United Arab Emirates. Designing a set of drawings in line with local standards often requires multiple reciprocating runs-in. Secondly, architectural design is a multi-disciplinary comprehensive work, which requires the close cooperation of architecture, structure, water supply and drainage, electrical, HVAC, interior, landscape and cost. Especially affected by the outbreak, all materials shipping cycle is long, the cost is high, the need for precise control of civil costs. There are also language difficulties that must be overcome. All the engineers assigned by Zhongjiang Design Institute are not qualified for translation, and only one Arabic translator in the branch is responsible for handling the administrative work. All drawings and documents submitted for approval in the local area must be presented in English, especially when discussing technical problems, one must overcome one difficulty by one. From the management service building of the China-Arab Industrial Park to the design of staff dormitories and customized workshops, the Abu Dhabi Branch crossed the river by feeling the stones, step by step, and gradually grew.
At the beginning of 2020, we obtained the first-class qualification of architectural design in the UAE, with 8 foreign employees and 6 Chinese employees. This is also our first overseas design branch in Jiangsu Province. In 2023, the qualification of Abu Dhabi Branch was upgraded to a special qualification, which is the highest qualification for architectural design in Abu Dhabi.
Just as everything was on track, the new crown epidemic was sweeping the world, international flights were melting down and cities were quarantined. At that time, the construction of the park was at a critical node, and the comrades of the Abu Dhabi Branch took the initiative to ask Ying to stick to their posts to ensure the smooth progress of the construction of the park. In the three years of the epidemic, the Abu Dhabi Branch took the safety and health of employees as the first priority, tried to ensure the supply of epidemic prevention materials, resolutely implemented the epidemic prevention regulations, and achieved zero infection for employees in the three years of the epidemic.
However, the impact of the epidemic is also real, with investment attraction across the UAE being hit hard and all new projects previously negotiated by the Abu Dhabi branch stalled. Starting from 2021, the Abu Dhabi Branch has overcome various difficulties and completed the construction of the China-Arab Industrial Park with quality and quantity. At the same time, it has actively cooperated with the investment promotion of the park and actively explored the external market. The Branch has worked closely with the three companies of Zhongjiang Overseas 1. 2. to radiate the Middle East and Africa with the UAE as the center. In 2021, the branch completed the design of 7 vocational schools in Côte d'Ivoire, won bids in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, and Zambia, and established a good and stable cooperative relationship with brother companies.
“The wind is an eternal journey, it will not arrive, its journey has no end.”Abu Dhabi Branch has gone through“One Thousand and One Nights”Standing on a new historical node, we will continue to bravely pursue our dreams and forge ahead!
