Ningbo: A Maritime Legend with the Courage to be a Pioneer in the BRI

NINGBO, China, July 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from NBGD:

There are always more similarities than differences between cities. In the case of Ningbo and Dubai, according to Mr. Li Xuhang, Consul General of China in Dubai, both are "coastal cities with world-class ports, playing a critical role in global logistics and supply chain and in the Belt and Road Initiative." After drawing on the experience of China's Reform and Opening up, Jebel Ali Port established the first Free Trade Zone in Dubai in the 1970s and began attracting investment from across the world with preferential policies. Soon, the city witnessed an economic boom.

"Today, Dubai is the largest trade distribution center in the Middle East for products made in Zhejiang province. Many Chinese goods reach North Africa via the Jebel Ali Port in Dubai after leaving the Ningbo Zhoushan Port," said Consul General Li. "Both Ningbo and Dubai contribute to the BRI with their mix of maritime and land transport." In September 2018, the Ningbo Zhoushan Port and Dubai Ports World signed an agreement to launch new BRI projects in Dubai. The agreement is expected to build closer and wider-ranging commercial ties between the Yangtze River Delta Economic Belt and the Middle East.

In 2011, the Ningbo Zhoushan Port became the third port in the world to exceed 30 million TEU in container traffic, after the Port of Shanghai and the Port of Singapore. Shipping routes link the Ningbo Zhoushan Port to more than 600 ports in 200-plus countries and regions.

China-UAE trade ties are growing, as is the popularity of traditional Chinese culture in the UAE. Saeed Alhefeiti, Director of the Information Office of Fujairah, UAE, has visited China and fallen in love with its culture. He is a fan of Chinese hot pot, Peking Opera, and even gave himself a Chinese name, "Sa Zhonghua", with "Sa" being a homophone of his first name's first syllable, and "Zhonghua" meaning "China". Alhefeiti hopes media cooperation between the two countries could help Ningbo achieve its goal of becoming a modern coastal metropolis. "Ningbo is an important coastal city in eastern China," said Alhefeiti, "I look forward to closer ties between Dubai and Ningbo. Chinese cities have their own development goals and can consistently deliver on their promises; I don't think Ningbo will be an exception."

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