Railways Along the Belt and Road | Arab miracles rise from deserts

Editor's note: On the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), let's take a look at the railways in BRI partner countries and explore the projects as well as the local sights and sounds. In this final article of the "Railways Along the Belt and Road" series, we focus on how the mega projects power the Arabic countries' dream of creating miracles from the deserts.

In the distant past, Muslim pilgrims came to the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia on foot. Now, millions of pilgrims can be shuttled in cool comfort to Mecca, the holiest city of Islam, via the lime green light-rail trains. In annual Haji season, it will transport some of the millions of pilgrims who travel to Islamic holy sites. 

The Mecca light-rail, which links three pilgrimage areas, is 18.25 kilometers long and has nine stations. Built by China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC) and put into operation in 2010, it's Saudi Arabia's first light rail and the first of its kind built by a Chinese company in the Middle East. 

The train is one of many dream projects aiming to turn the holy city into a high-tech metropolis. At Yanbu Industrial City along Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast, a world-class refinery is also an essential part of Saudi Arabia's national industrialization plan and its need for economic diversification.

In 2012, Saudi Aramco and Sinopec signed the agreement with a total investment of nearly 10 billion U.S. dollars. The innovations have won it the best-performing project of its type and size in the whole Middle East. 

Arabic countries, especially the Gulf countries, are racing to build the world's top mega projects that are worth of billions of dollars, and pushing the transformation from an oil miracle powered economy to a more diversified development path, such as one focused on technological innovation. Perhaps that's why market competition of building railways, constructing skyscrapers and space exploration in the region is much more fierce than any other markets.

In ancient times, Egyptians built the pyramids. Now, Chinese and Egyptian engineers are building Africa's tallest building in the Central Business District (CBD) of Egypt's New Administrative Capital, a miracle rising from the heart of the desert some 50 kilometers east of the capital Cairo. 

There will be 20 commercial and residential skyscrapers as well as supporting municipal infrastructure, among which is the 385-meter high iconic tower, the tallest building in Africa. Egypt has never seen anything of that magnitude and the huge project constructed by China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) is going to be the landmark of Egypt.

Built by the same company of CSCEC, Central Bank of Kuwait's newly constructed headquarters is portrayed on the banknote of 5 Kuwaiti Dinar, representing the Bank's objectives of ensuring resilience, stability and a sound monetary policy. The new building has become a symbol of Kuwait's rejuvenation and demonstrates the Chinese company's cutting edge in the fierce competition of the Middle East construction market.

Currencies are the best name card for each nation. Images portrayed on those currencies often inherit diversified civilization and carry national honor. In Qatar, the Lusail Stadium, the main venue of the 2022 FIFA World Cup final built by CRCC, is featured on the country's new 10-riyal banknote. 

Traveling across Arabic countries, in addition to witnessing increasing mega landmark buildings built by engineers from both sides, such as Chinese-built power plants in Iraq, one can witness the flourishing cooperation within the tech industry - namely China's 5G technology powered digital transformation in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia and the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS). This has attracted more Arabic and Chinese business people, tourists, engineers and students traveling to each side, via increasing numbers of flights from both sides, such as the Emirates, Egyptair, Qatar Airways, Saudia, Air China and etc. And among them, more young generations are now becoming the driving forces to push the innovation-led development in China and Arabic countries.