The high-quality joint construction of the "the Belt and Road" between China and Luxembourg has yielded fruitful results (China Africa cooperation in the new era)

Fasten your seat belt, adjust your rearview mirror, and start your car in Ruviganba, a resident of the Western Province of Rwanda, ready to drive to work. Driving on a flat road, passing by Lake Kivu along the way, the lake surface is rippling and the scenery is beautiful. The road built by Chinese companies is so good, with a flat and wide surface, and driving feels stable and fast, very comfortable, "praised Luviganba.

Rwanda, located in the central eastern part of Africa, is a traditional friendly country of China. In recent years, the relationship between the two countries has developed rapidly, with fruitful cooperation achievements in various fields and a continuous deepening of traditional friendship. China and Rwanda work together to build the "the Belt and Road" in high quality, carry out extensive cooperation under the framework of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation, help Rwanda's infrastructure situation continue to improve and people's living standards improve, promote the continuous development of friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries, and benefit the two countries and their people.

A broad avenue leading to a happy life

The road praised by Lu Weiganba is a 66 kilometer road along Lake Kivu built by China Road and Bridge Corporation along the mountain. This is one of the main north-south channels in the western region of Rwanda, as well as a part of the highways connecting Rwanda with neighboring Tanzania, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other countries. The project started construction in 2013 and was completed and opened to traffic in 2016. Amidst the picturesque scenery of lakes and mountains, modern highways meander forward, providing great convenience for residents and tourists to travel and making positive contributions to the development of the Rwandan economy, "commented the local media" Great Lakes Weekly ".

The area along Lake Kivu is an important economic crop producing region in Rwanda. Statistics show that 70% of Rwanda's coffee and nearly half of its tea are produced in the surrounding areas of Lake Kivu. After the road is built, the coffee grown by local residents can be more conveniently transported to other places, greatly improving economic benefits. Thanks to more convenient transportation conditions, our coffee market has expanded. Our family's income has increased, and we have also built new houses. This is a broad avenue leading to a happy life, "coffee farmer Emmanuel happily told reporters.

The 66km road along Kivu Lake has gained good reputation locally, become one of the benchmark projects of Chinese enterprises in Rwanda under the framework of the joint construction of the "the Belt and Road", and won the Rwanda National Quality Project Award. According to statistics, currently, Chinese enterprises account for about 70% of the total length of national highways in Rwanda, helping to improve the quality and growth rate of infrastructure construction in Rwanda and driving local economic development.

Local media reported that Chinese companies have made significant contributions to the construction of road transportation in Rwanda. To carry out relevant cooperation with China and help Rwanda achieve rapid development, "said Mbanda, a senior media and publisher in Rwanda, in an interview with our reporter.

Solved the major challenges in our production and daily life

After driving east for about two hours from Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, the reporter arrived at Sika Village in Kayongza Town, Oriental Province. At noon, villager Wuwasai arrived at a well located in the center of the village. He gently shook the handle and the clear well water flowed into the bucket. Soon, two buckets were filled with water.

Xika Village is located in a mountain valley with inconvenient transportation. For a long time, drinking water has not been guaranteed, and villagers can only obtain water from rivers, lakes, canals, and even swamps for drinking, causing a series of health problems. With the implementation of the 200 well project supported by the Chinese government in Rwanda, the water scarcity situation in various villages has been completely changed.

Previously, we had to go out early in the morning and fetch water 8 kilometers away. The lake water was not purified and was not hygienic. After Chinese companies helped us dig this well, everyone could come and fetch water anytime, and it could be transported back home in just a few minutes, greatly solving the problem of domestic water use. It's really happy! "Wuwasai exclaimed excitedly.

The Chinese government's aid to the 200 well project in Rwanda is an important livelihood project to implement China Africa cooperation in the new era. It was constructed by the Central and Eastern Africa Branch of China Geological Engineering Group Corporation and began construction in November 2019. The water wells assisted in construction are mainly distributed in 11 districts of the Oriental and Southern provinces of Rwanda, including 170 hand pressed wells, 10 solar powered submersible pump wells, and 20 monitoring wells. In addition, China also provides technical service support such as water quality testing and personnel training to the Lu side. In two and a half years, the project overcame various difficulties and was completed by the end of April 2022, delivering it for local use and meeting the daily water needs of nearly 110000 local residents. Local villager Balaxinyuzha sighed and said, "The Chinese government's help in building water wells not only greatly facilitates our daily water use, but also irrigates our farmland, solving the major problems in our production and life. Our lives will also get better and better

The 200 well project assisted by China has helped solve the long-standing water shortage in some areas of Rwanda and is an important symbol of friendly relations between the two countries, "said Zhu Xinghui, General Manager of China Geological Engineering Group Corporation's East and Central Africa Branch." The 200 well project has given local people a real sense of gain and is of great significance in improving people's living standards

Learning Chinese has broadened my horizons

There are red lanterns hanging at the entrance of the spacious classroom. Inside the classroom, students exchange greetings in Chinese and write Chinese characters on the blackboard... In the Confucius Institute classroom at the University of Rwanda, local students are studying Chinese seriously with Chinese teachers.

In 2009, the Confucius Institute at the University of Rwanda was officially unveiled, becoming the first and only Confucius Institute in the country to date. Over the past decade, the number of registered students in Confucius Institutes has continued to increase, and the number of local people who hope to understand China is also increasing. "Zeng Guangyu, the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Rwanda, introduced that currently, Confucius Institutes have 14 teaching points in Rwanda, including 1 Confucius Classroom, 7 university teaching points, and 6 middle school teaching points. Currently, the number of people learning Chinese in Rwanda is about 5000 per year, which is 20 times more than the number in 2009.

Chinese education has opened a new window for the Rwandan people to understand Chinese culture and the achievements of China's economic and social development. Many young people have found their way towards a better life by learning Chinese.

Sabina (Chinese name Wenbin) studied at a girls' high school in the southern province of Rwanda. In 2018, the Confucius Institute at the University of Rwanda established a Chinese language teaching point and offered Chinese courses at the school, which sparked strong interest from Sabina. She is determined to learn Chinese well, study abroad in China for further education, and bring what she has learned back to Rwanda. Her Chinese teacher even made an agreement with her to meet in China.

In recent years, Sabina has studied hard and her Chinese proficiency has greatly improved, winning many honors: in 2019, she won the championship of the 12th "Chinese Bridge" World High School Chinese Competition in Rwanda and the third prize globally; In 2021, won the championship in the Rwanda division of the 20th "Chinese Bridge" World University Chinese Competition; In the second "Confucius Institute" short video event, she won the special prize in the "Most Cultural" section with her work "Rwanda Chinese Tea"... She also introduced Chinese culture to more local people through filming short videos and other means, thus earning the title of "Confucius Institute Expert".

In July 2021, Sabina fulfilled her wish and received an admission letter from a Chinese school. In October 2022, she arrived in Chongqing and began a new life of studying abroad in China. Through her own efforts, Sabina and her Chinese teacher met in China, fulfilling their original agreement.

Learning Chinese has broadened my horizons and provided a broad stage to help me achieve my life dreams! I hope to further learn Chinese in China, delve into China's development model and experience, provide reference for the development of my hometown, and contribute to the deepening of friendship and cooperation between Lu and China, "said Sabina.