China Harbour Engineering Co Ltd ( CHEC), a world-renowned international contractor, has been dedicated to pursuing business opportunities in the overseas market for the past 30 years, ever since its establishment in 1980. During this period, CHEC has sought to develop its business while fulfi lling its social responsibility and providing a link between China and the outside world.
China Harbour Engineering Co Ltd ( CHEC), a world-renowned international contractor, has been dedicated to pursuing business opportunities in the overseas market for the past 30 years, ever since its establishment in 1980. During this period, CHEC has sought to develop its business while fulfi lling its social responsibility and providing a link between China and the outside world.
When people talk of a period of 30 years, it is not necessarily a long time in the growth of a multinational company. For CHEC, a subsidiary of the China Communications Construction Company Ltd, it has been long enough for it to become a leader in the challenging international market in its core sector.
Focusing on basic infrastructure construction, including marine engineering, dredging and reclamation, roads and bridges, railways, airports and complete plant facilities among other activities, CHEC prides itself on providing a full service to its clients.
Assessing the company’s development, Sun Ziyu, the chairman and president of CHEC, said: “ With its flexible service model, CHEC expects to provide tailored solutions to clients covering anything from feasibility studies and fi nance, through to construction, maintenance and operation.”
Sun said: “ The company also uses its international engineering experience, global business network, talented management team and robust financial backing to offer clients a wide range of service options.”
Overseas businesses
Beginning with its fi rst overseas projects, a 300,000DWT dry dock in Malta and Friendship Port in Mauritania in the early 1980s, CHEC began to explore the international market and look for new business opportunities to use the experience it had gleaned from its completed projects.
Between 1989 and 2005, CHEC enjoyed steady development both domestically and internationally. Sun said: “ With the deepening reform of the State-owned enterprises throughout the country, the company became a pioneer throughout that period with its successful expansion into overseas markets.”
Thanks to its strengths in teamwork, technology, staff and management, CHEC established a good reputation in the international market. During this period, the Macao International Airport Platform project set the benchmark for the company in terms of contract revenue.
Other mega international projects followed and included Gwadar Deep Water Port in Pakistan, OP-V Liquid Products Marine Terminal in Karachi, Chittagong Port Project in Bangladesh, Friendship Bridge in Macao, Rama VIII Bridge in Thailand, Chek Lap Kok Airport platform in Hong Kong, K. K Reclamation Works in Malaysia, Shuaiba Oil Terminal in Kuwait, Reclamation Works in Flota, Columbia, Calabar Channel Dredging Project in Nigeria, and the Sudan Port.
Among these remarkable projects, the Gwadar Deep Water Port project in Pakistan proved to be unique and became a new milestone in the friendship between China and Pakistan.
During the completion ceremony, the former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and Chinese Minister Li Shenglin of the Ministry of Transport unveiled a monument commemorating the construction of the Gwadar Deep Water Port.
With the inscription of the names of three Chinese staff who died during the completion of the port, both in Chinese and English, it tells the whole story of the progress of the port construction.
Since 2006, CHEC has been dedicated to further expansion involving more EPC and government frame projects. With the consolidation of its overseas markets in developing countries, in particular in the southeast and south Asian markets, the company has also made a breakthrough in the Middle East, African and Latin American markets.
The most remarkable projects from this period include the Extension Work for the Port of Lobito in Angola, the Penang Second Bridge Crossing in Malaysia, the Port Raz Az Zawr Project in Saudi Arabia, the Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka, and the Boubyan Seaport Project (Phase 1) in Kuwait.
As the Chinese saying has it: “ No one small step makes a whole journey of 1,000 li, no single streams makes a river or sea.” Similarly, CHEC’s development and its subsequent status in the international market are not just attributable to just one or two projects.
Through consistent business development, CHEC has developed into a well-known company in the international engineering sector, with operations in more than 20 countries and regions.
Sun said: “CHEC would like to work closely with colleagues in all sectors to achieve a mutually beneficial situation and to contribute to the prosperous development of all countries and regions.”
Social responsibility
Alongside business expansion and improvement initiatives, CHEC has also maintained a keen sense of social responsibility and a philosophy of creating the greatest value for its clients, establishing mutually benefi – cial cooperation, and fulfi lling both its commercial and social responsibilities.
Addressing these aspirations, Wang Jiayin, the chief vice president of the company said: “ Donations, financial support and contributions to public welfare schemes are as important to CHEC as its commercial activities.”
Both the company and its individual members become involved in various social events when working on overseas construction projects, as CHEC believes that its legacy to local people should not just be concrete buildings but also its beliefs and efforts with regard to protecting the environment.
In Angola, a group of young people now collects rubbish along the Lobito Bay every Saturday. These young people are employees of CHEC. The local residents call them the “ beach beauticians.”
The company’s donations to an orphanage in Angola also proved to be a godsend for the children living there. CHEC employees brought the children daily necessities. Deeply moved by this, Francisco, the manager of the orphanage, suggested that the Chinese employees give the gifts directly to the children.
In addition, CHEC has developed wide understanding and cooperation with other individuals and organizations. After the Sichuan earthquake in May 2008, the company’s partners in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates donated to the quake-stricken region directly and to the Chinese embassy via CHEC.
Other support from the company to local people comes in the area of education. In 2008, the company established the “ CHEC Education Fund” to fi nance students from developing countries and allow them to study in China. The fi rst 10 students from Sudan are now studying in Hehai University in Nanjing, Jiangsu province.
Source: China Daily, February 10, 2010; Image: ShipSpotting, January 23, 2006
