China and Honduras formally established diplomatic ties on March 26 this year. But bilateral cooperation began long before that. Our reporter Zhou Jiaxin visits one of the two largest hydropower projects in Patuca city, built by China.

ZHOU JIAXIN, Patuca, Honduras "This is Patuca-three, Honduras' first giant hydropower station in decades. For the Central American economy, it has been providing clean energy, up to six percent of the country's power system, electricity for one million of its nine million population and jobs for more than two-thousand.

The station was designed and built by China and went into operation before the end of 2020. It is also China's first financed project in a partner country before diplomatic ties were established. That didn't happen until this March."

Having been on this project for seven years, the Chinese manager says a Honduran letter to Beijing helped initiate the project in 2015.

LIU HUIJIE, Project Manager, Sinohydro Corporation Limited, Honduras "Honduras is rich in natural resources and labor. The then government was quite determined to tackle poverty, and wrote a letter to the Chinese government requesting financing of projects that advocated the concept of 'building a community with a shared future'. This led to Chinese investment in the country, and created the opportunity for us and the Honduran people to make Patuca-three happen together."

According to researchers with the World Bank, China spent $240 billion bailing out 22 developing countries between 2008 and 2021, with some critics saying the amount soared in recent years as more have struggled to repay loans spent building infrastructure.

Beijing has denounced the accusations, saying it has never forced any party to borrow money or pressed any country to accept debt. To date, none of the partner countries has accepted the claim the Belt and Road Initiative has created "debt traps."

For Honduras, it expects more possibilities.

EDUARDO REINA, Honduran Foreign Minister "It's a good example of bilateral cooperation. We are looking for the continuity of projects such as Patuca-two, and then other great possibilities and projects that will help us precisely be much more competitive in the field of energy, in which Honduras currently faces low levels of continuity due to its geography."

With stable operation, the output value of power generated by Patuca-three is now up to 50 million dollars per year, and the China influence in this plant is profound.

NELSON ORTEGA, General Manager, Operation Team, Patuca III Plant "I'm sure that the influence of the Chinese project, the culture in developing countries is of great help, and the transfer of knowledge, technology, growth of employment, of course, they help with economic reactivation."

ZHOU JIAXIN, Patuca, Honduras "This year marks the 10th anniversary of China's Belt and Road Initiative which is to boost infrastructure, trade, technology and socioeconomic cooperation. So far, some 140 countries and 30 organizations have participated in what experts have called the BRI's strong driving force for inclusive, equitable and sustainable economic growth, mostly benefiting developing countries. And that shows China's vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind. Zhou Jiaxin, CGTN, at the Patuca hydropower station in Honduras."