In recent years, the pure electric buses produced by BYD in cooperation with Alexander Dennis of the United Kingdom have accounted for half of the British market, including more than 80% of the London market. The picture shows the production workshop in Falkirk, near Edinburgh. Photographed by our reporter Huang Fu

In the golden autumn five years ago, President Xi Jinping put forward the "Belt and Road" initiative. In the past five years, the "Belt and Road" construction has taken root and blossomed in the countries along the line, and joint construction of the "Belt and Road" has become the consensus of more and more countries. On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the "Belt and Road" initiative, the People's Daily delegation visited France and Britain, and deeply felt the enthusiasm of people from all walks of life in both countries to actively embrace the "Belt and Road" initiative.

"We cannot miss such development opportunities"

Marseille, located on the Mediterranean coast in the south of France, is the largest port city in France. With the "Belt and Road" construction in full swing, Marseille hopes to take this opportunity to become the first place for France to connect with the "Belt and Road" construction.

It is this enthusiasm to participate in the "Belt and Road" construction that has promoted the implementation of the Marseille International Trade City project. In view of the fact that the streets in the old urban area of Marseille cannot meet the strong demand of merchants from local and surrounding countries, Chen Dingguo, a Chinese businessman in France, and others proposed to find another piece of land in Marseille to focus on commercial business, which was actively supported by the regional government and the municipal government of Marseille. In just over a year, from land leasing to creative design and project construction, a trade city covering tens of thousands of square meters has sprung up in San Andre Development Zone in the north of Marseille.

"The land and sea transportation here is convenient, and it can radiate the area of 500 kilometers. It is very convenient for merchants from France, Italy, Spain and northern African countries to purchase." Facing ocean freighters full of containers and berthed near the seaport, I look at the trade city that complements the style of Marseilles Port and combines East and West styles and creativity, Chen Dingguo, 51, has an uncontrollable excitement.

"This project is a real opportunity for Marseille!" When the foundation of Marseille International Trade City was laid in February 2017, the then mayor of Marseille, Jean Claude Godin, said enthusiastically. In February this year, at the completion ceremony of the project, Renault Misserier, President of the Provence Alps Blue Coast Regional Council, said that the Marseille International Trade City would become the largest import and export platform between France, southern Europe, North Africa and China, and would also become an important project for France and China to jointly build the "Belt and Road". "We cannot miss such a development opportunity!"

Since the opening of Marseille International Trade City, many businesses have successively settled in, and business is booming. "I'm really busy today. More than 100 guests have come here, and more than 60 of them have settled business with me!" Liao Xiaofeng, the owner of Loria Fashion Shop in the Trade City, couldn't hide his smile. His store opened for half a year, and soon formed a stable source of customers. Every day, there are many customers. "Come here, I won't go anywhere else!" Liao Xiaofeng said.

"I am very confident that it will open in half a month." The lamp store of Tunisian Abd Makran is undergoing final decoration, but it is already full of energy-saving lamps and electronic screens. "These are all imported from Shenzhen, China, with good quality and affordable prices. They are very popular in the Arab region." He said that he has been doing lamp business in southern France for more than 10 years, and has sold a large number of Chinese products to North Africa, Spain, Italy and other countries. His presence in the Marseille International Trade City has shown him new business opportunities.

The efficient completion of the Trade City has also brought tangible benefits to the local people of Marseille. With the promotion of the Marseille Employment Center, many local young people have got the opportunity to work in the Trade City. Jolie, a Maasai girl, told reporters that she was very happy to work in the Trade City and personally felt the opportunities brought by France China friendly cooperation. "Chinese enterprises and businessmen have made great contributions to the economy and employment of Marseille." Juwan Le Mai, the French partner of the Trade City, kept expressing his true feelings to the delegation.

"The new bus is related to the image of London"

In Falkirk, near Edinburgh, an important city in the north of the UK, the cooperation between BYD China and Alexander Dennis, the largest bus and coach manufacturer in the UK, is progressing in an orderly manner. During President Xi Jinping's visit to the UK in October 2015, the two sides signed a cooperation agreement on the production of electric buses. BYD provides chassis, drive system, battery and other core parts, while Alexander Dennis provides lightweight aluminum car shell.

"Red buses, red mailboxes, and black taxis are known as the" three colors "of London, and the new buses are related to the image of London." Chen Yongping, Deputy General Manager of BYD Europe Auto Sales, said that the project has received the cordial care of the senior management of China and Britain from the very beginning. It was during President Xi Jinping's visit to the UK that the world's first pure electric double decker bus built by BYD for London was unveiled in London's Lancaster Palace. Leaders of the two countries boarded the bus to visit and jointly witnessed the historic moment when Chinese brands "drove" into London.

On August 23 this year, BYD and Alexander Dennis jointly won the first large-scale bidding order for pure electric double deck buses in London, with a total of 37 sets, which are planned to be delivered in 2019. So far, BYD has won 222 electric buses of various models in the UK, with pure electric buses accounting for about half of the UK market, and more than 80% of the London market.

"The British government supports the reduction of air pollution, and London has determined that all buses must be electrified by 2037. Our company has a manufacturing history of more than 120 years for double deck buses, is a world-class manufacturer, and has rich experience in market development. BYD's battery can travel 250 miles on a single charge, and the technical quality is excellent. Our cooperation with BYD can not only meet the policy requirements of the British government and market needs, but also benefit both sides. " Said Aaron Falls, director of strategy at Alexander Dennis.

"The participation of Chinese enterprises in the construction of the 'Belt and Road' will help Chinese national brands go global." Reviewing the process of cooperation with Alexander Dennis, Chen Yongping said that at the beginning, the British side thought that BYD only provided batteries, so they only wanted to find a battery provider, but in fact, the batteries and vehicle chassis provided by BYD are core technologies. Through in-depth understanding, the two sides reached a mutually beneficial cooperation agreement, and the "BYD" logo with white characters on a blue background finally shone in front of every London electric bus. "In the next 10 years, the two sides plan to triple the amount of cooperation to nearly 20 billion yuan. This will also create about 2500 jobs for Alexander Dennis and 1500 jobs for partners worldwide." Chen Yongping said.

"Very willing to contribute to the promotion of bilateral relations"

At the beginning of this year, French President Malone and British Prime Minister Theresa May visited China one after another in less than a month, which aroused great concern of the international community. During the talks and meetings with leaders of the two countries, President Xi Jinping talked about carrying out cooperation under the "Belt and Road" framework and stressed the need to strengthen people to people and cultural exchanges. As an important part of people to people and cultural exchanges, media cooperation is being widely carried out between China, the UK and France, helping to jointly build the "Belt and Road".

"This is today's People's Daily, the front page of which carried the news of the opening of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation and the keynote speech of your President Xi Jinping." On September 4, in Marseille, southern France, Fabian Friedman, the deputy editor in chief of Provence, displayed the full-color People's Daily printed by the newspaper's printing factory that day. To express its welcome to the delegation's visit, the Provence Daily specially downloaded the template (PDF version) of the People's Daily from the Internet in advance and printed 15000 copies of the People's Daily in front of the delegation. Friedman said, "This is not only a courtesy to the delegation sent by China's largest newspaper, but also reflects our recognition and importance to deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between France and China."

The daily mail website "Post Online" had 230 million monthly global visits at its peak. In February 2015, People's Daily Online cooperated with Post Online to use news products mutually. When President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to the United Kingdom in October of that year, "The Post Online" reprinted several pieces of news provided by China.

"To this day, we all remember the news, and we are very happy to contribute to the development of bilateral relations." Gay Zitter, the former CEO of the Daily Mail, still remembers the reports of "People and Things Mentioned by the Chinese President's Visit to the UK", "The Premier League Has Chinese Fans' Support", and the video "What Chinese People Pay Attention to the UK Today". "In view of the importance of the" Belt and Road "construction, the Daily Mail is developing the" Belt and Road Index ", an expert group composed of economists, to analyze and publish the economic benefit rate of countries along the Belt and Road." Zeit believes that media cooperation is of great significance in promoting and promoting the "Belt and Road" construction. He said that the Daily Mail This year, we will continue to appoint high-level representatives to attend the "2018 Belt and Road Media Cooperation Forum" hosted by the People's Daily.

People's Daily (September 21, 2018, 21st Edition)

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