CRI听力:Chinese constructor eyes further development in Mauritius

A leading Chinese construction company has dedicated the past decade to exploring the market in Mauritius while promoting Chinese techniques and standards.

The construction of a comprehensive sports facility in Cote D'or, Saint Pierre, central Mauritius, is proceeding with each passing day.

Covering a total of 250-thousand square meters, the project will comprise of a multi-sport stadium, an aquatic center and an indoor sports venue.

Cai Lei from the constructor, China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC), explains the role of the multi-functional complex is expected to play.

"Generally speaking, the sports and culture facilities in Mauritius are still underdeveloped. It's in urgent need of new venues to meet the rapidly growing demand. In addition, this project is located in the central plateau of Mauritius, which is a newly explored land. The project is expected to support the development of the area and boost its urbanization. "

The Mauritian government has placed great importance on infrastructure improvement, providing many opportunities for international constructors like CSCEC.

Among the major projects the company has undertaken here was the renovation and expasion of the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, a regional aviation hub.

The China-assisted new airport was put into operation in 2013 after 3-year construction.

Seen as a landmark for Mauritius to enter the 21st century, it has seen a drastic increase in the number of passengers, contributing a lot to the growth of the country's economy, especially in the tourism sector.

"Tourism is one of the four pillars of the Mauritian economy and the new airport has significantly improved the air transport capacity of Mauritius. The numbers of daily flights and passenger flows here have both risen to new highs. The airport was designed to handle 5 million passengers each year, with an ultimate capacity of 8 million passengers. The passenger flow at the airport reached 8 million in 2017, four years after its operation."

The Chinese company has been operating business in Mauritius for ten years.

Cai Lei suggested Chinese enterprises should do more to promote Chinese techniques and Chinese standards.

"After years of working overseas, I've realized that the spread of Chinese standards and the international recognition of Chinese techniques depends on every project Chinese people build. I'm happy to see that more and more Chinese products and materials are being used in the overseas projects. If you look at the civil construction market in Mauritius, Chinese products have been well-accepted."

Cai is also looking to further increase in the international competitiveness of Chinese products given the country's strong manufacturing capability and the high standards it pursues.