Ambassadors hoping to enhance trade with China

The hosting of the 2021 Changsha International Construction Equipment Exhibition is "remarkable" amid the COVID-19 pandemic, said an ambassador at the event.

"I'm very impressed. Here you have the manufacturers of vehicles, trains, aerospace, you have transportation, and you have everything included," said Rodrigo Delgado Soto, ambassador of Costa Rica to China.

"The way it is displayed and also the technology that has been developed with artificial intelligence and the use of robotics are really something that could contribute very much to the enhancement of our production and manufacturing," Soto said.

A large number of China's achievements in the manufacturing industry are beyond one's imagination and Costa Rica is looking into more chances to integrate products and manufacturing between the two nations, Soto said.

Costa Rica joined the Belt and Road Initiative in 2018 and has a good location in Central America. With big ports in the Pacific coast, the country enjoys trade with China.

It has also signed free trade agreements with all the countries of Central America, the ambassador said. To provide opportunities for manufacturers from China, Costa Rica is paving the way to establish free trade zones and rolling out tax-free policies.

The main reason the ambassador is attending the 2021 CICEE is to seek cooperation between the two countries to enhance the development of the BRI. At the same time, he said, it's to contribute to the infrastructure in ports, facilities, transportation, roads and railroads.

Peruvian Ambassador to China Luis Quesada was another VIP impressed by the exhibition.

"I was extremely impressed not only by the quality of the machinery but also by the display that has been made in a very dynamic way," Quesada said."I could see that this is one of the most important events for the construction industry," he added.

As one of the countries involved in the BRI, Peru is exploring opportunities with Chinese companies and has decided to attract more investment from China, Quesada said.

"The BRI is about infrastructure and connectivity. So, in these two ideas, there are many possibilities,"Quesada said.

China is a big investor in Peru's mining industry, but Peru needs better ports, airports and energy facilities. China is a champion in infrastructure and a leader for clean energy, he said.

Another area where the country has intention to work with China is railways. China has a first-class railway network and such a thing is needed in Peru, he noted.

Quesada noted the prospects in agricultural cooperation between the two nations. In the past, Peru used to export mining and fishing products to China. Nowadays, it is one of China's main suppliers of blueberries, avocados and grapes.

The construction of infrastructure in BRI countries and regions has been recovering over the last six months. Chinese construction machinery enterprises are to usher in a new round of market opportunities, said CICEE organizers.

In 2020, China fulfilled contracts worth $91 billion in total in those countries and regions, accounting for 58.4 percent of total Chinese-contracted overseas projects.

Feng Zhiwei and Zhu Youfang contributed to this story.

liyou@chinadaily.com.cn