On October 13, on the occasion of the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, Consul-General Li Xuhang was interviewed by Emirates News Agency (WAM) and responded to the reporter’s questions on the 10th anniversary of President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The following is the full text of the interview.

Reporter: This year marks the 10th anniversary of the BRI. Please introduce the outcomes of co-developing BRI projects in the consular district.

Li Xuhang: The outcomes have been fruitful since President Xi Jinping proposed BRI 10 years ago. BRI has received positive responses from more than 150 countries and over 30 international organizations. It has created more than 3,000 cooperation projects and driven nearly one trillion dollars in investment, becoming the most popular international public product and the largest international cooperation platform.

During President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the UAE in July 2018, China and the UAE signed a Memorandum of Understanding on BRI co-development, ushering in a new era of China-UAE comprehensive strategic partnership. For Dubai, the two sides are working actively to align the BRI with the Dubai Silk Road strategy. I want to highlight cooperation projects under the BRI framework represented by Hassyan Power Complex, the concentrated solar power (CSP) and photovoltaic (PV) solar power plant in Dubai Solar Park, and Section C of the second phase of the UAE Railway. These projects have been commissioned or are nearing completion. With a total installed capacity of 2,400 MW and an investment of about 3.3 billion dollars, Hassyan Power Complex is the first clean power plant project in the Middle East fueled by natural gas. Its four units are expected to be put into commercial operation later this year, energizing 20% of Dubai’s total consumption and significantly reducing the power cost for local residents. The 950 MW hybrid CSP and PV solar power plant, an EPC project undertaken by Shanghai Electric, covers 44 square kilometers. It is currently the world’s largest integrated CSP and PV project regarding installed capacity and investment. After commissioning, Dubai will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1.6 million tons annually and power more than 320,000 households with clean electricity. It will strongly support UAE’s green development and help the country achieve its emission reduction goals.

At the end of last year, President Xi Jinping visited Saudi Arabia and attended the China-Arab States Summit and the China-GCC Summit, making China and the Middle East trending topics in both places. The exchange visits between the two sides at all levels have increased significantly, with many Chinese delegations from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong and Hainan visiting Dubai. China, as Dubai’s largest trading partner and the largest source of investment, is witnessing a growing presence. More than 8,000 Chinese enterprises have invested here, and only in the first half of this year, 664 Chinese enterprises settled in Dubai. Looking back on the first decade of the BRI, we are confident to expect the bright outlook of the second and third decades. China is the world’s largest commodity producer, and Dubai is an important international trade center. By leveraging our advantages, I believe the two sides can be assured of infinite BRI possibilities.

Reporter: The Consulate-General successfully organized China Week events themed “Connecting Hearts on the Silk Road and Sharing Vibrant Cultures”. Please tell us more.

Li Xuhang: The Consulate-General in Dubai held these activities in late September to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the BRI, promote outcome delivery of the First China-Arab States Summit and the First China-GCC Summit and advance China-UAE cultural exchanges and practical collaboration. Under the theme of “Connecting Hearts on the Silk Road and Sharing Vibrant Cultures”, China Week events highlighted Digital Economy Forum, China-UAE Belt and Road Media Think Tank Dialogue, Tea and Camel Milk Dialogue, Inner Mongolia Dalad Banner Promotion, National Day Reception for the 74th Anniversary of the People’s Republic of China and Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration. Demonstrations and performances, such as tea ceremony, Peking opera, sand painting, acrobatics, martial arts, calligraphy and painting, were also eye-catching. These activities offer enormous and diverse experience opportunities to an estimated 150,000 people, blowing the “China wind” in Dubai. What I realized most deeply from the China Week events is that they offered brilliant opportunities for interaction and engagement between China and the UAE. First, both sides were committed, and many high-level guests attended. Wu Hailong, President of China Public Diplomacy Association, led a delegation of nearly 100 people to Dubai, consisting of art troupes, experts and scholars from different Chinese provinces and cities. The events were also attended by Minister of Economy Marri and Undersecretary Abdul; Alabbar, founder of EMAAR Properties; leader of Dubai Culture & Arts Authority; and professors of local universities, scholars and media representatives. Guests from both sides had in-depth exchanges, hailed China-UAE friendship and envisioned the bright future of bilateral cooperation. Second, the activities of both sides light up each other. China Week is not a one-man show but a China-UAE symphony. EMAAR’s Dubai Chinatown was inaugurated on the same stage as the China Week opening, brightening up the visibility of both sides. We held grand National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations at the Atlantis and were amazed by China’s national flag fluttering high on Burj Khalifa with the national anthem. EMAAR and DMCC also held Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations, and Chinese passengers even received special Mid-Autumn Festival blessing cards at Dubai International Airport. Our interactions demonstrate that China Week was a popular event, and China-UAE friendship is deeply rooted in people’s hearts.

Reporter: Your speech for China Week mentioned that bilateral cultural exchanges and heart-to-heart communication are essential for the BRI. Please give us some examples.

Li Xuhang: The key to state-to-state relations lies in close bonds between peoples. As I mentioned earlier, China and the UAE have made remarkable achievements in key projects and trade exchanges for co-developing the BRI, which cannot be separated from the deep and sound people-to-people connection on both sides. Over the years, cultural exchanges and cooperation between us have also been fruitful. Here are two examples. First, the Happy Spring Festival Parade was created in Dubai. This event, co-organized by the Consulate General and the Executive Committee of Hala China, has been held four times. His Royal Highness Mohammed, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has twice come to the parade to interact with the audience. This is the largest Spring Festival parade celebration outside China. The 2023 Happy Spring Festival Parade was of unprecedented scale. More than 60 processions and over 20 floats participated in the performance at the site provided by Expo City Dubai at no cost. Dubai Police cleared the way for the parade with the highest courtesy of mounted police. For the first time, a number of UAE enterprises, such as EMAAR and Dubai Airport Duty Free, joined the parade. Second, the Chinese School Dubai was founded. This is the first Chinese school overseas to apply China’s domestic educational system, and the UAE strongly supported the founding process. The school was founded in the first half of 2020 at the height of COVID-19 when Dubai government staff worked at home. The Consulate General worked with relevant Dubai departments to overcome COVID-19 and other difficulties. In less than half a year, we completed the registration, site selection and renting, bank account opening, renovation and transformation of the school premises, enrollment and teacher selection, among other tasks. The school opened on September 1 of that year, creating the "Dubai miracle" and the "Chinese speed" for opening an international school. In the past three years since the school's establishment, it has received enduring support from all parties in Dubai. KHDA Director Genera attended the school's semester opening ceremonies many times, and the school got the highest grade GOOD in the first evaluation of KHDA. It’s fair to say that Dubai’s Happy Spring Festival Parade and the Chinese School Dubai are golden brands of cultural exchanges and heart-to-heart communication and models of mutually beneficial China-UAE cooperation.