Oct. 24 (NBD) -- With construction continuing to gather steam, the Laos-China railway is expected to open to traffic in 2021, according to China Railway No. 2 Group Co., Ltd., which is a contractor of the railway project and an enterprise based in Chengdu, capital of southwestern China's Sichuan province.  

The railway is just one of the Belt and Road projects that witness the participation of Chengdu-based companies. 

During the January-September period of this year, companies from the southwestern city have taken part in 150 key projects overseas under the Belt and Road Initiative, which altogether involve investment of more than 20 billion U.S. dollars, according to the Chengdu Municipal Commission of Commerce. 

Of those, there are 43 agricultural projects, 35 manufacturing projects, and 72 service industry projects (engineering contracting included).

In September 2016, Chengdu issued an action plan (2016-2020) to promote the integration into the Belt and Road Initiative and encourage local enterprises to go abroad, with a goal of driving more than 10,000 companies into the international arena by the end of the 13th five-year period. 

Sha Zukang, former under-secretary-general of the United Nations for economic and social affairs, commented at the 2017 Belt and Road Initiative China-Europe (Chengdu) Innovation Cooperation Summit Conversation that Chengdu has done a great job in international exchange and trade cooperation. 

But the capital city itself doesn't content with the existing achievements and continues its efforts. 

To drive the overseas growth of Chengdu-based enterprises, the local government needs to enhance connectivity, exchanges and mutual recognition of products, technology, and service standards with countries along the Belt and Road to help them expand their presence in international markets. 

With this regard, the city will offer policy support to cooperation projects with high added value, said an official with the Chengdu Municipal Commission of Commerce. 

In addition, Chengdu, currently, is endeavoring to take the cooperation with Europe to a new level by building international cooperation platforms, such as the industrial park co-built with European technology park Sophia Antipolis.

Moreover, the city is exploring system innovation, with the Chengdu Qingbaijiang Railway Port Area and Shuangliu International Airport serving as test sites, aiming to provide enterprises with a series of facilitation measures ranging from business operation to investment and talent introduction.  

Email: lansuying@nbd.com.cn