向雯

Infrastructure construction： what's happening here is a miracle

談起非洲，你是否還停留在戰(zhàn)亂、落后的印象里？然而，有這樣一個(gè)國家，在一百年多年前就被稱為“非洲代表、黑人希望”，這里是咖啡、高梁的故鄉(xiāng)，這里也是馬拉松運(yùn)動(dòng)員的搖籃。近年來，這個(gè)世界最不發(fā)達(dá)之一的國家連續(xù)多年發(fā)展速度位居非洲第一，它逐漸改變著人們對非洲的刻板印象，展現(xiàn)出欣欣向榮的新面貌……這個(gè)國家，就是埃塞俄比亞。

對于在埃塞工作多年的孟紅來說，埃塞近些年的變化，她感受頗深：“我親身感受到了非洲特別是埃塞俄比亞的經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展，有越來越多的中國人來這里尋找機(jī)會(huì)。”

在首都亞的斯亞貝巴，這種感受更加明顯。車水馬龍的鬧市區(qū)有著寬闊的柏油車道，空中飛馳的輕軌，國家體育場、非洲聯(lián)盟總部……據(jù)說，亞的斯亞貝巴60%的工程都由中國人完成，在這里幾乎能找到中國建筑業(yè)的所有大型公司，中國企業(yè)正在逐漸改變著這座城市的天際線。

如今，中國已毫無爭議地成為了埃塞最大的投資國。英國《金融時(shí)報(bào)》對此評論，來自中國的企業(yè)和資本為埃塞的公路、鐵路、大壩等注入了大量資源和資金，使埃塞實(shí)現(xiàn)了中國式的繁榮。美國財(cái)經(jīng)媒體Quartz也用一句話作了總結(jié)：目前這里所發(fā)生的一切堪稱經(jīng)濟(jì)奇跡。

與許多依賴礦產(chǎn)、石油資源繁榮起來的非洲國家不同，埃塞政治長期平穩(wěn)，是非洲少數(shù)真正能利用起人口紅利、發(fā)展勞動(dòng)密集型產(chǎn)業(yè)的國家之一。

在國家工業(yè)落后的情況下，埃塞政府以中國模式為模板，積極發(fā)展基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施建設(shè)和制造業(yè)，政府高層多次到中國考察學(xué)習(xí)。2010年，埃塞政府制訂了該國首個(gè)“五年計(jì)劃”，并放開絕大部分投資領(lǐng)域，同時(shí)積極依靠世界銀行、非洲發(fā)展基金等援助，著力發(fā)展基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施、能源和電信等基礎(chǔ)性行業(yè)。

在埃塞智庫和宣傳部門的強(qiáng)力推動(dòng)下，埃塞國家電視臺(tái)里，從新聞到其他節(jié)目中無不展示著“發(fā)展，發(fā)展，再發(fā)展”的理念，高速公路、水電大壩的鏡頭經(jīng)常出現(xiàn)在各種節(jié)目中。

正因如此，對外開放、出口加工、五年計(jì)劃、基礎(chǔ)建設(shè)……過去30年間中國人熟悉的一幕幕，正在這個(gè)遙遠(yuǎn)的非洲國家上演。許多到過埃塞的中國人都說，“這個(gè)國家，很像30年前的中國?！?/p>

在中埃合作的眾多項(xiàng)目中，亞吉鐵路是其中最耀眼的“明星”。作為“一帶一路”的標(biāo)志性成果，亞吉鐵路是非洲大陸上第一條全部采用中國標(biāo)準(zhǔn)和中國裝備建設(shè)的電氣化鐵路。已經(jīng)安全運(yùn)營一年多的亞吉鐵路，為當(dāng)?shù)芈每统鲂泻拓浳镞\(yùn)輸都提供了極大便利。

在埃塞人看來，亞吉鐵路真正實(shí)現(xiàn)了國家之間的聯(lián)通，使內(nèi)陸國家埃塞俄比亞聯(lián)通了吉布提，從而有了借助港口走向世界的契機(jī)。絡(luò)繹不絕的旅客往來于兩地之間，吉布提乘客阿卜杜是亞吉鐵路的“鐵粉”，每次去埃塞東部城市德雷達(dá)瓦都會(huì)選擇亞吉鐵路。他說，之前乘坐公共汽車到德雷達(dá)瓦要侶個(gè)小時(shí)，而現(xiàn)在僅4個(gè)小時(shí)就能抵達(dá)，“和過去比簡直是天壤之別！”

而這樣一組數(shù)據(jù)也說明了亞吉鐵路的人氣，截至2019年3月，亞吉鐵路累計(jì)開行國際旅客列車403列，發(fā)送旅客15.5萬人次;累計(jì)運(yùn)送集裝箱6.1萬個(gè)，貨物發(fā)送量約120萬噸。

2018年6月，正值埃塞農(nóng)忙時(shí)節(jié)。一場緊急的運(yùn)輸任務(wù)讓中土埃塞俄比亞工程有限公司總經(jīng)理李志遠(yuǎn)記憶深刻。

由于埃塞是內(nèi)陸農(nóng)業(yè)國家，95%的進(jìn)出口貨物都需要通過吉布提的港口轉(zhuǎn)運(yùn)。農(nóng)忙時(shí)節(jié)，約3萬噸化肥卻滯留在吉布提，用老辦法運(yùn)輸肯定來不及，這讓埃塞農(nóng)業(yè)部門焦頭爛額。好在那時(shí)亞吉鐵路已經(jīng)開通運(yùn)營，于是他們主動(dòng)找到運(yùn)營團(tuán)隊(duì)，請求支援。

任務(wù)緊急，刻不容緩。亞吉鐵路運(yùn)營團(tuán)隊(duì)迅速行動(dòng)?！拔覀兿群箝_通了11列化肥運(yùn)輸專列，在不到一個(gè)月的時(shí)間內(nèi)完成了運(yùn)輸任務(wù)，保障了埃塞農(nóng)業(yè)生產(chǎn)的順利進(jìn)行?！崩钪具h(yuǎn)回憶道。

如今，又到了讓李志遠(yuǎn)和其團(tuán)隊(duì)忙碌的時(shí)候，這一次，李志遠(yuǎn)信心滿滿：“在最短的時(shí)間把大宗的化肥完成跨境運(yùn)輸，亞吉鐵路毫無疑問是最好的選擇?！?/p>

依托于運(yùn)輸優(yōu)勢，鐵路沿線的產(chǎn)業(yè)園也如雨后春筍般迅速增加。“目前，鐵路沿線有10個(gè)左右的工業(yè)園在建設(shè)，其中有一多半已經(jīng)完成投產(chǎn)。特別是埃塞這樣對出口、外匯都有很大需求的國家，這條鐵路能拉動(dòng)沿線經(jīng)濟(jì)的發(fā)展，尤其是外向型經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展?！崩钪具h(yuǎn)如是說。

“互聯(lián)互通是一條腳下之路，無論是公路、鐵路、航路還是網(wǎng)路，路通到哪里，我們的合作就在哪里。”習(xí)近平主席的話為中埃合作指明了方向。兩國在道路、能源、房建等領(lǐng)域都碩果累累。非洲第一大水壩、第一條輕軌、第一條中國標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的鐵路……中埃攜手書寫了一個(gè)又一個(gè)“第一”。

在亞的斯亞貝巴以西50公里的一片草原上，曲折蜿蜒的公路盡頭，矗立著一座氣勢恢宏的變電站，這里是全球規(guī)模最大的500千伏變電站——埃塞俄比亞GDHA（復(fù)興大壩）輸變電工程Holeta變電站。遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)望去，這群威風(fēng)凜凜的“銀甲兵士”，正盡職地守護(hù)著這片廣袤的土地。

與長達(dá)13個(gè)月的熾熱陽光形成鮮明對比的是，埃塞電力供應(yīng)曾經(jīng)極度匱乏。2014年以前，全國發(fā)電裝機(jī)容量僅為200萬千瓦，83%的人口無電可用，農(nóng)村總電氣化率低至6%，首都也只有三分之一的人能用上電，常能看到為了給手機(jī)充電，人們蜂擁排隊(duì)的場景。

正是在這種能源和電力負(fù)荷極不均衡的背景下，可見由國家電網(wǎng)中國電力技術(shù)裝備有限公司總承包的500千伏輸變電工程，對推動(dòng)埃塞經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展、提升當(dāng)?shù)孛癖娚钇焚|(zhì)的意義有多么重大！

“在埃塞國家電網(wǎng)示意圖上，自西向東一條長長的紅色輸電線路直指青尼羅河，這就是GDHA500千伏輸變電工程。它是當(dāng)前非洲輸電線路最長、電壓等級最高、輸送容量最大的輸變電工程?！敝蟹降倪\(yùn)維項(xiàng)目現(xiàn)場執(zhí)行經(jīng)理金明光介紹道。

如今，這座享譽(yù)非洲的輸變電項(xiàng)目不僅對改善埃塞電網(wǎng)結(jié)構(gòu)、解決埃塞首都地區(qū)電力供應(yīng)緊張問題發(fā)揮著顯著作用，而且對促進(jìn)埃塞清潔能源外送和構(gòu)建全球能源互聯(lián)網(wǎng)均具有重要意義。

曾經(jīng)的亞的斯亞貝巴，因?yàn)榛A(chǔ)設(shè)施薄弱、交通不便，晚8點(diǎn)以后，整座城市便進(jìn)入沉寂狀態(tài)?，F(xiàn)在，到晚上10點(diǎn)，依然有許多商店、餐館還在營業(yè)之中……這樣的活力離不開電力供應(yīng)，也離不開一條輕軌的開通。

穿梭在繁忙城市之中的東非第一條城市輕軌——亞的斯亞貝巴城市輕軌，給這座“非洲屋脊”上的城市增添了一道亮麗風(fēng)景線?！敖煌ǖ谋憷馕吨鞘猩罡迂S富，這座城市因輕軌而更加活躍?！鄙钲诘罔F集團(tuán)埃塞俄比亞公司總經(jīng)理王偉對此感受頗深。

東非第一條輕軌、非洲最大的輸變電工程、210米高的東非第一高樓……一大批中國建設(shè)的項(xiàng)目已成為亞的斯亞貝巴的新名片;落戶于此的非洲聯(lián)盟總部、聯(lián)合國非洲經(jīng)濟(jì)委員會(huì)、多個(gè)援非NGO組織，也讓亞的斯亞貝巴成為非洲國際外交的最前沿。埃塞俄比亞，正向世界展示著令人驚嘆的蓬勃與活力。

What does Africa look like in your mind？ Poor？War-ridden？ Yet a country there was giventhe title "the representative of Africa and the hopeof the black" more than 100 years ago. It is hometo coffee， sorghum and marathon runners. In recentyears， this country one ofthe least developed nationsin the world， has been ranking first in Africa in termsof development speed for many years. Its flourishingeconomy is changing the stereotype about Africa.That country， is Ethiopia.

A "Chinese model" on the roof of Africa

For Meng Hong， who has been working inEthiopia for many years， the changes here in recentyears are quite impressive. "I've seen firsthandthe economic development in Africa， especially inEthiopia， and more and more Chinese people camehere to look for opportunities，" she said.

In Addis Ababa， the capital of Ethiopia， thiskind of feeling is even more pronounced. In the busydowntown area， there are wide asphalt lanes， flyinglight rail， Addis Ababa Stadium and African Unionheadquarters. It is said that 60% of the projects inAddis Ababa are completed by Chinese people，and you can find almost all the major Chineseconstruction companies here. Chinese enterprises aregradually changing the skyline ofthe city.

Today， China is inarguably Ethiopia's biggestinvestor. The British Financial Times commentedthat enterprises and capital from China have injecteda lot of resources and funds into roads， railways anddams in Ethiopia， thus enabling Ethiopia to achievea Chinese-style prosperity. Quartz， the US financialmedia， concluded that what's happening here is anecononuc miracle.

Unlike many other African countries that haveprospered by relying on mineral and oil resources，Etluopia has enjoyed long-term political stabilityand is one of the few countries in Africa that cantruly take advantage ofits demographic dividend todevelop labor-intensive industries.

In view of the backward industry the Ethiopiangovernment has actively advanced infrastructureconstruction and manufacturing industry by drawingon experience of the Chinese model. The seniorofficials have visited China many times for study tours.In 2010， the Etluopian government formulated thecountry's first "Five-year Plan" and opened up mostof its investment areas. At the same time， it activelysought assistance from the World Bank and AfricanDevelopment Fund to boost its infrastructure， energytelecommunications and other basic industries.

Under the strong impetus of Ethiopian thinktank and publicity department， the concept of"development， development and development" isconveyed in all the news and other programs of thestate television. Shots of highways and hydroelectricdams often appear in various programs.

Because of this， opening up， export processing，five-year plans， infrastructure construction and manyother scenes fanuliar to the Chinese people in the past30 years are now being staged in this remote Africancountry. "This country looks like China 30 yearsago：' said many Chinese who have visited Ethiopia.

A railway activates an economic belt

Among the projects cooperated between Chinaand Ethiopia， Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway is thebrightest star. As a landmark achievement of the Beltand Road Initiative， Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railwayis the first electrified railway on the African continentbuilt entirely with Chinese standards and equipment.It has been operating safely for more than a year，providing great convenience for local passengers andcargo transportation.

In the eyes of the Ethiopians， the inter-countryconnectivity was truly realized， and the landlockedcountry of Ethiopia was connected with Djibouti，thus having the opportunity to go global from theport. An endless stream of passengers travels betweenthe two places. Abdou， a passenger from Djibouti，is a big fan of Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway andhe takes it every time he goes to Dire Dawa， a cityin the east ofthe country. He said that it used to take18 hours by bus to get there， but now it takes only 4hours. "It's a far cry from the past，" he said.

A set of data shows the popularity of AddisAbaba-Djibouti Railway. By March 2019， 403international passenger trains have been put intooperation， undertaking 155，000 passenger trips. Therailway has transported a total of 61，000 containersand delivered about l.2 nullion tons of goods.

An urgent transportation mission in June 2018，the busy farming season in Ethiopia， is still impressiveto Li Zhiyuan， general manager of CCECC EthiopiaConstruction Private Limited Company.

As a landlocked agricultural country， 95%of Etluopia's import and export goods need to betransferred through the port of Djibouti. Some 30，000tons of chemical fertilizer were stuck in Djibouti，too late to be transported in the old way. That lefiEthiopia's agricultural department in hot water.The good news was that the Addis Ababa-DjiboutiRailway had opened by then. So， they reached out tothe operation team for support.

There was no time to lose. The rail operationsteam moved quickly. "We opened 11 special freighttrains for the chemical fertilizer， and got everythingdone within a month， ensuring the smooth progress ofEthiopia's agricultural production." Li recalled.

It is again a busy season for Li and his team， buthe is confident this time. "To complete the cross-border transportation of bulk chemical fertilizer asquickly as possible， Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway isno doubt the best choice."

Relying on transportation advantages， industrialparks along the railway have mushroomed. "Atpresent， there are about 10 industrial parks underconstruction along the railway， more than half ofwhich have been put into operation. For a countrylike Ethiopia which has great demand for exports andforeign exchange， this railway can boost the economyalong the route， especially the export-orientedeconomy，" said Li.

The pace of cooperation never stops

"Connectivity is a path at our feet. Whether it isby road， rail， air or the internet， our cooperation iswherever the path leads." President Xi Jinping's wordsdefined a direction for China-Ethiopia cooperation.The two countries have made great achievements inthe fields of roads， energy and housing construction.The biggest dam in Africa， the first light rail and thefirst Chinese standard railway...China and Etluopiahave jointly achieved one breakthrough after another.

On a grassland 50 kilometers west of AddisAbaba， at the end of a winding road， stands animposing transformer substation. It is the largest500kV substation in the world， Holeta Substation， theEthiopian GDHA （Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam）power transmission and transformation project. Froma distance， this group of awe-inspiring "silver armoredsoldiers" is dutifully guarding the vast land.

In stark contrast t0 13 months of hot sunshine，Ethiopia's electricity supply was severely scarce. Before2014， the installed power generation capacity was only2 million kilowatts， and 83% of the population had noaccess to electricity. The general electrification rate in thecountryside was as low as 6%， and only l/3 0f people inthe capital had access to electricity. People often queuedup to charge their phones.

Given the extreme imbalance of energy and powerload the 500KV power transmission and transformationproject undertaken by State Grid China Electric PowerEquipment and Technology Co.， Ltd. （CET） is ofgreat significance for promoting Ethiopia's economicdevelopment and improving local people's lives.

"On the schematic diagram of Ethiopia's nationalgrid， a long red transmission line running from westto east points to the Blue Nile. This is the GDHA 500kV power transmission and transformation project，with the longest transmission line， the highest voltagelevel and the largest transmission capacity in Africa："said Jin Mingguang， Chinese field executive managerof the operation and maintenance project.

Today， this transmission and transformationproject， which is well known in Africa， not onlyplays an important role in improving the structureof Etluopia's power grid and solving the problemof power supply shortage in the capital area， butalso bears great significance in facilitating the cleanenergy export of Ethiopia and building the GlobalEnergy Interconnection （GEI）.

There was a time when Addis Ababa was silent after8 p.m.because of its weak infrastructure and inconvenienttransportation. Now， by 10 p.m.， there are still many shopsand restaurants open. Such vitality is inseparable from thepower supply and the running light rail.

The Addis Ababa Light Rail， East Africa's firsturban light rail system， is a sight to see on the roof ofAfrica. "Convenient transportation means more colorfulurban life. The city is more active because of the lightrail，" said Wang Wei， general manager of EthiopiaCompany of Shenzhen Metro Group Co.， Ltd.

The first light rail in East Africa， the largestpower transmission and transformation projectin Africa， the tallest building of 210 meters inEast Africa...A host of Chinese-built projectshave become Addis Ababa's new name card. Theheadquarters of the African Union， United NationsEconomic Commission for Africa （UNECA） and anumber of NGOs aiding Africa located here also putAddis Ababa at the forefront of Africa's intemationaldiplomacy. Ethiopia is showing amazing dynamismand vitality to the world.