Editor's note: Chen Fenghua is head of COVEC (PNG) Limited. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN. It has been translated from Chinese and edited for brevity and clarity.

CGTN presents a special series on the role of China's centrally administered SOEs in the Asia-Pacific, in collaboration with China's State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission. The series explores their contributions to regional connectivity, green transition, digital economy, industrial cooperation and people's livelihoods, with insights on building a shared future for the region.

Having worked in Papua New Guinea (PNG) for many years, I have come to appreciate that building an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future is far more than an abstract concept. At the most basic level, connectivity means ensuring that a road or bridge can genuinely link communities and bring new opportunities for development.

Since entering the Papua New Guinea market in 1993, China Overseas Engineering Group Co. Ltd. (COVEC) has spent over three decades establishing a deep-rooted presence in the country. Its operations span various sectors, including roads, bridges, airports, and building construction. To date, the company has built more than 1,000 kilometers of new roads, leaving its footprint across all 22 of PNG's provinces and regions. 

From undertaking the Bereina–Malalaua Road in Gulf Province in 1996 and building the Laiagam–Porgera Road in Enga Province, which won the prestigious China Construction Engineering Luban Prize in 2016, to signing the Magi Road project in Milne Bay Province in 2026, a 242-kilometer highway that stands as PNG’s largest single infrastructure project to date, we have delivered a series of landmark projects that connect communities across Papua New Guinea. The significance of these projects extends far beyond their sheer scale. They have helped eliminate the bottlenecks and gaps holding back regional development, linking dispersed communities, markets, and public services. In doing so, they have translated connectivity from policy plans into tangible travel conveniences and growth dividends that local residents can see and feel.

Soft connectivity is also reflected in mutual support and solidarity during times of adversity. When a powerful earthquake struck PNG's Highlands Region in 2018, we immediately dispatched machinery and personnel to assist with emergency rescue efforts. Similarly, in August 2024, when flooding destroyed the Yalu Bridge in Lae, Morobe Province, our teams worked around the clock for three consecutive days to restore this critical transport link.

The experience of PNG demonstrates that while connectivity builds the foundation for an Asia-Pacific community, the key lies in delivering tangible outcomes. When central state-owned enterprises undertake international projects, they cannot focus solely on delivery schedules and costs. Instead, they must ensure that their work is truly integrated into the local development context. Only by building roads and bridges that stand the test of time as genuine livelihood projects, shouldering responsibility when communities are in need, and bridging cultures to bring people closer can connectivity sustain its lasting vitality, and the vision of an Asia-Pacific community be translated into a shared reality of development.