Opening the map of Cambodia, a new and wide expressway, the Golden Port Expressway, winds across the plains and mountains, connecting the country's capital, Phnom Penh, and the largest deep-water port, Sihanoukville Port.

The Jingang Expressway is the first expressway in Cambodia. It is invested, constructed and operated by China Road and Bridge Engineering Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China Communications Corporation. It is a key project of the joint construction of the Belt and Road between China and Cambodia. October 1, 2022 is not only the 73rd anniversary of the People's Republic of China, but also the day when Jingang Expressway opened for trial operation. Many Chinese builders who have devoted their efforts to it are excited, and Mo Kun is one of them.

Mo Kun: I remember it was the night before October 1st. It should be said that I basically didn't sleep much in the previous few nights. I am very excited. After the opening, as I saw the first car passing through the toll booth and appearing in the surveillance photos sent by our monitoring center, the traffic flow gradually increased, and it was very smooth and orderly, so I slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

Mo Kun is currently the general manager of CRBC Cambodia Golden Port Expressway Co., Ltd. He said that the completion and opening of the Golden Port Expressway is the result of the concerted efforts of thousands of Chinese and Cambodian builders along the entire line of the project. At present, Jingang Expressway has been in safe and stable operation for more than 200 days, and is becoming a road to prosperity and happiness.

Mo Kun: In the past, there were very few buses between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville. It used to take at least 5 hours to travel by local road, but after the opening of Jingang Expressway, it has been shortened to less than two hours. It crosses 5 administrative districts, with 3 administrative districts in the middle. Obviously, from our traffic calculation, the enthusiasm for travel is high, the exchange of goods is more frequent, and the economic vitality of the city has obviously been stimulated.

Before coming to Cambodia, Mo Kun worked in Kenya, an eastern African country, for a long time. From 2009 to 2022, he participated in and witnessed the preparation, construction and operation of the flagship project of the China-Kenya Belt and Road Initiative - Mombasa-Nairobi Railway.

The Mombasa-Nairobi Railway, which opened in 2017, is known as Kenya's Century Project. It is built with Chinese standards, Chinese technology and Chinese equipment. It is the first railway built since Kenya's independence.

In order to build and operate this main artery for accelerating development, Chinese overseas builders have made great efforts, and Mo Kun and his team are responsible for the public safety management work to escort the smooth and safe construction and operation of this heart-warming road.

Mo Kun said: The 480-kilometer railway crosses different administrative regions, political trends, and people's customs. Therefore, we use a set of management system to accurately judge all safety risks and adapt measures to local conditions. For example, during the construction process, we have to pass through the local Maasai tribal area. They use nomadic hunting as their main means of survival, and they do not understand the language. Therefore, when the railway passes through their area, they may not understand it. We use local informants or liaison officers to effectively prevent related incidents from happening in advance.

Since the construction and operation of the railway is highly professional and involves many positions, how to perfectly integrate Chinese standards with Kenyan elements and make everyone more cohesive has become one of the focuses of Mo Kun and his team colleagues. After groping, they created the first set of local employee manuals of CRBC, set up an employee love fund, and found a way for the people-to-people bonds between Chinese and Kenyan employees. He also carried out a series of public welfare activities in the local area on behalf of the company with the support of the Dream Silk Road Youth Development Program.

Mo Kun said: We are a community of interests and responsibilities. Both parties have responsibilities and obligations. Thinking in another way is also creating real well-being for the local area. I think everyone's cohesion has become stronger, and the relationship between Chinese and foreign employees has further deepened.

In 2011, Kenya was hit by a severe drought. In Kenya, Chinese enterprises and overseas Chinese have organized food relief operations in Turkana, a severe drought in northern Kenya. A large convoy of 20 heavy-duty trucks and off-road vehicles drove more than 700 kilometers of difficult mountain roads in three days and two nights to deliver relief materials to Turkana, and distributed them to more than 9,800 victims at three distribution points 13,000 bags of grain.

Mo Kun said that participating in that event is still unforgettable to him: our going there must be a timely rain for the local people. The victims in Turkana were also very touching. At that time, they couldn't help but danced the local dance, and they all held my hand and surrounded us.

After finishing his work on the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway, in April 2022, Mo Kun went to work in Rwanda for a period of time, and took up his post in Cambodia in July last year. By May of this year, Mo Kun will have worked overseas for 14 years. From Kenya, Rwanda, and Cambodia in Africa, like many overseas builders, Mo Kun's life has drawn a long track on the earth.

He said that the persistence and hard work in a foreign country these years are inseparable from the support of his family. What impressed him the most was a sentence his mother told him. Mo Kun said: My mother has always encouraged me to build other people's hometowns as my own. She said that while you are building other people's hometowns overseas, there are actually a group of people who, like you, are also dedicating and struggling in your hometown.

2023 is the tenth anniversary of China's Belt and Road Initiative. Mo Kun said that like him, there are many Chinese builders who have shed their youth and sweat on the Silk Road. They gradually opened bridges full of friendship and roads of happiness, and reaped opportunities and friendship.

Mo Kun: I feel very lucky. When I wanted to do things and grow up, I encountered the proposal of the Belt and Road Initiative. I feel very lucky. In the past 14 years, I have been from 25 to 39 years old this year. It can be said that I have spent my entire youth overseas. I feel that I have no regrets or disappointment. I also hope that more young people with dreams, aspirations, and sentiments can devote themselves to the cause of the Belt and Road Initiative.Editor/Ma Xue