Canakkale Bridge -- new epitome of China-Türkiye cooperation

ISTANBUL, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- The 1915 Canakkale Bridge in Türkiye, spanning the Dardanelles Strait in the northwestern part of the country, has been officially put into operation since March.

As one of the landmark projects of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the bridge's construction has contributed significantly to Türkiye's economic development, job creation, energy conservation, and emission reduction, according to local analysts.

A CONTRIBUTION TO LOCAL DEVELOPMENT

The bridge has shortened the one-hour ferry journey between the two sides of the strait, the European and Asian sides, to six minutes by car, bringing great convenience to people's lives.

"Do you know what will be the annual profit of our country with this investment in time, fuel consumption, and reduction of carbon emissions? 415 million euros (422 million U.S. dollars)," said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the inauguration ceremony of the bridge.

According to calculations, the president said, the project would contribute 5.3 billion euros (5.4 billion dollars) to the economy in production and job opportunities for 118,000 people, and 2.4 billion euros (2.44 billion dollars) to the national income.

"In other words, this bridge is not only profitable for our country, but a project that our country is proud of in every way," he said.

China and Türkiye established a strategic cooperative relationship in 2010 and bilateral cooperation entered a new historical stage.

The Canakkale Bridge, the fourth bridge across the Eurasian continent, is the new witness of this growing friendship between the two countries.

China's Sichuan Road and Bridge Group participated in the construction of the bridge, a two-tower, three-span suspension bridge with six lanes in both directions.

The main span of the bridge is 2,023 meters long, symbolizing the year 2023, which is to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Türkiye.

The bridge sits at the western end of the Sea of Marmara which lies in the Mediterranean climate zone, where hails, torrential rains, and high winds may come at any time. Walking down its 3,800-meter-long catwalk is equivalent to climbing a mountain of over 3,000 meters.

During construction, the team had to travel to and from the catwalk every day.

"We were on a tight schedule and the task was heavy. The beginning was hard and decisive," said Chen Junfeng, field manager of the company.

A WIN-WIN PARTNERSHIP

Liu Yuhua, minister counselor of economy and commerce at the Chinese Embassy in Türkiye, said Türkiye was one of the first countries to support the China-proposed BRI and join in relevant constructions.

"During the G20 meeting in 2015, a series of arrangements including the Memorandum of Understanding on Aligning the Belt and Road Initiative and the Middle Corridor Initiative were signed. We now have many fruitful results," he told Xinhua.

Sedat Aybar, a professor at Istanbul-based Bahcesehir University, told Xinhua that under the BRI framework, Türkiye and China have carried out pragmatic cooperation in various fields, which has effectively promoted the development of the Turkish economy and brought benefits to the Turkish people.

"More and more Chinese companies are investing in Türkiye, especially in the fields of infrastructure, transportation, high technology, and finance," he said.

Aybar emphasized that the establishment of the Turkish branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) is one of the most important steps for bilateral cooperation in the financial industry.

Since its establishment in 2015, ICBC Türkiye has provided funds for several major projects under the BRI framework, promoting Türkiye's economic, industrial, and social development.

Oraj Ozel, general manager of ICBC Türkiye Securities Company, said in a recent interview with Xinhua that China and Türkiye have been working on various projects to revive the historic Silk Road.

He said major infrastructure projects linking Europe and Asia have been completed, such as the Marmaray Tunnel, the Eurasia Tunnel, and Istanbul Airport.

"Canakkale Bridge is one of the landmark projects that we are proud to be part of. It connects Europe and Asia and is the most symbolic project for us at ICBC Türkiye. It is the longest suspension bridge in the world, and is located in a very strategic location," he said.

"We had a few challenges in building this project. Due to the pandemic, we had difficulties in procuring materials and on stable staff," Ozel said, adding that however, the devotion of 2,000 employees made it possible to open the bridge as scheduled.

Bora Bocugoz, executive vice president of DenizBank, a well-known Turkish bank, expressed his willingness to conduct more cooperation with China.

"We work very closely with Chinese financial institutions like ICBC, Bank of China, China Eximbank, and we would like to do more together to improve the financing of trade between (our) two countries," he said.

DenizBank has recently realized the first syndicated loan facility in Türkiye in renminbi, which was awarded by a banker magazine as the financial syndication deal of the year in Europe.

"So far, our cooperation has been very important. I think there will be more cooperation in the future. Our partnership is a win-win structure," Bocugoz said.