The newly-opened Chancay Port in Peru is expected to inject new impetus into economic development and help deliver common prosperity across the Asia-Pacific, with the project seen as a symbol of openness and cooperation across the region.
Located some 80 kilometers north of the Peruvian capital Lima, the port was officially opened on Thursday in a special inauguration ceremony attended via video link by Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Peruvian counterpart Dina Boluarte, after Xi arrived in Peru earlier in the day to pay a state visit and attend the 31st APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting.
The port is a flagship project under the Belt and Road Initiative and the first smart port in South America. The first phase of the project will shorten the shipping time from Peru to China to 23 days, reducing logistics costs by more than 20 percent. It is also expected to generate 4.5 billion U.S. dollars in annual revenue for Peru and directly create over 8,000 jobs.
Peruvian farmers, especially those in the Huaral valley next to Chancay, believe they will benefit greatly from the port's opening.
"Huaral is the capital of agriculture in Peru, we have almost 80 percent of all fruit and vegetable products. We have pitayas, avocados, vegetables like lettuce, among other things. So the fact that the transportation will take less time gives us the opportunity to do the packing at less cost. That is a huge advantage for us, for producers," said local farmer and agricultural consultant Percy Perez.
President Boluarte paid a state visit to China back in June, and the two heads of state hailed the significance of the Chancay Port project as it neared completion at that time.
"The time it takes for goods to be transported from the Chancay Port to Shanghai will be slashed by about 12 days, and the products of the Americas can reach Asia at the fastest speed possible," Boluarte said in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) during her China trip.
"'From Chancay to Shanghai' has become a buzzword, which heralds the broad future of mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Peru. I believe it will bring a more concrete sense of gain and happiness to the people of both countries," Xi said during his meeting with Boluarte in June.
In his written speech at the APEC CEO Summit, Xi said that as long as relevant parties continue to practice the spirit of openness and connectivity, the Pacific Ocean can become a thoroughfare to promote prosperity and growth.
"From Chancay to Shanghai, what we are witnessing is not only the Belt and Road Initiative taking root and blossoming in Peru, but also the birth of a new land-sea corridor between Asia and Latin America in the new era," Xi said at the port's opening ceremony on Thursday.
Chancay Port expected to deliver common prosperity, bring benefits to Asia-Pacific region
Chancay Port expected to deliver common prosperity, bring benefits to Asia-Pacific region
Chancay Port expected to deliver common prosperity, bring benefits to Asia-Pacific region
Chancay Port expected to deliver common prosperity, bring benefits to Asia-Pacific region
China's newly-commissioned deep-ocean drilling vessel, Meng Xiang, is set to push the boundaries of scientific exploration into the deeper ocean with a maximum drilling depth of 11 kilometers.
As China's first homegrown deep-sea drilling vessel, it measures 179.8 meters in length and 32.8 meters in width, with a displacement of 42,600 tonnes. It boasts a range of 15,000 nautical miles, a self-supportability for 120 days, and a capacity to accommodate 180 people.
Commissioned in the southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou on Sunday, the vessel is the first in the world that integrates the functions such as deep-ocean scientific drilling, oil and gas exploration, and natural gas hydrate investigation and trial extraction.
"It is the first hydraulic lifting rig in the world that is capable of both oil and gas exploration and core sampling. It can drill to depths of 11,000 meters and is smart and highly integrated. It contains a core sample system designed by the Chinese people that handles the collecting tools, automated transfer, and storage. It also has versatile drill bits suitable for different rocks, from the soft rock to the hard rock in deep sea. Its capabilities meet the third generation, or the latest, international standards and requirements of 11,000 meters of ocean drilling. It is the most advanced and highly integrated drilling system," said Wang Mingxin, a member of the vessel's manufacturing supervision team of Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey under China Geological Survey.
The vessel also features nine advanced laboratories, covering areas such as geology, paleomagnetism, microbiology, and ocean science.
"The lab on the deep-sea drilling vessel of Meng Xiang is currently the largest one among scientific research ships. It covers almost all major disciplines in ocean science, including environmental monitoring of the atmosphere and water, basic geology, chemistry, and biological analysis," said Zhou Yang, a member of the vessel's manufacturing supervison team of Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey under China Geological Survey.
According to Zhou, researchers can analyze the distribution and species information of micro-organisms found in sediment or rock samples to determine the age of the strata and the sedimentary environment in the lab for microbiology.
Zhou also said that the laser microscope on the vessel has an optical resolution of over 1,000 times and can precisely capture two-dimensional and three-dimensional structural information of organisms.
"It is a mobile national laboratory in some way. For certain analyses that require timely processing, a fast and accurate analysis can be done on board, preventing from changes to samples, which may occur when transporting samples back to the shore. After the first two sea trials, it has been confirmed that the performance of all onboard equipment is much better than expected," said Zhou.
Traditionally, human activities and scientific exploration have been limited to the Earth's crust, which averages 15 kilometers in thickness. Beneath the crust lies the mantle, a crucial layer linking the surface to the core.
China's new deep-ocean drilling vessel revolutionizes deep-sea scientific research
