2021 Bahamas Urban Planning and Construction Seminar Online Opening Ceremony Held

On the evening of 11January10 2021, the opening ceremony of the 2021 Bahamas Urban Planning and Construction Workshop Online hosted by our university was held in the lecture hall on the first floor of the College of Architecture and Arts. Chinese Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Bahamas Dai Qingli, Head of the Economic and Commercial Agency of the Chinese Embassy in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas Fan Jinke, Minister of Works and Utilities of the Bahamas Michael Sears, Director General of the Ministry of Works and Utilities of the Bahamas Melanie Roach and other guests attended this opening ceremony via online. Mr. Guan Zhongliang, Vice President of Beijing Jiaotong University, Mr. Xia Mingchao, Director of International Division, Mr. Liu Yanqing, Dean of National Education College, Mr. Han Bing, Dean of College of Architecture and Arts, and Mr. She Gaohong, Vice Dean of College of Architecture and Arts met with the guests and attended the opening ceremony. Professor Zhang Chun, Deputy Head of Planning Department of College of Architecture and Arts, presided over the opening ceremony.

Ambassador Dai Qingli congratulated the opening of the workshop and thanked Minister Sears for attending the ceremony. Mr. Dai Qingli said that China and the Bahamas are good friends and partners. Since the outbreak of Newcastle pneumonia, China has provided seven batches of anti-epidemic supplies to the Bahamas. The friendship between the two countries is strong as they fight the epidemic side by side. In recent years, China and Pakistan have made remarkable achievements in urban planning and construction exchanges and cooperation. The projects invested and constructed by the Chinese side, such as the national stadium, airport expressway, integrated resorts and new landmarks, have played an important role in upgrading infrastructure and revitalizing old urban areas in Pakistan. We hope that the participants will make full use of the workshop opportunity to actively exchange and share the development experience of both sides in urban planning and construction, and promote the practical cooperation between the two sides in this field to go deeper and more practical.

Michael Sears, Minister of Works and Utilities of the Bahamas, delivered a speech on the line. He thanked the Chinese side for organizing an urban planning and construction workshop for the Bahamas, and the Chinese Embassy in the Bahamas for its strong coordination and support. Sears said that the Bahamas is in the process of formulating and improving its national development plan and will work to create resilient and sustainable housing construction and infrastructure. This workshop is timely and will provide Chinese wisdom and useful references for building ecological and smart cities, planning land use and tailor-made municipal planning for each island, which is a rare learning opportunity for the Bahamas. We hope that the participants will actively exchange and learn from each other, and seriously apply them to their work, so as to make greater contributions to promoting the economic prosperity of Pakistan and enhancing the friendship between China and Pakistan.

Melanie Roach, Director General of the Ministry of Works and Utilities of the Bahamas, spoke as a representative of the participants. On behalf of the Division, she expressed her heartfelt thanks to the Ministry of Commerce of China, the Embassy and our university. This training is very timely and we hope that the participants will learn about the development of urban and rural planning in China, learn the concept of urban and rural planning development in China, and incorporate the training into the ongoing development of building codes in The Bahamas.

Mr. Guan Zhongliang delivered a speech on behalf of the university. First of all, he expressed a warm welcome to the 22 officials from the Bahamas on behalf of the university. He pointed out that whether it is dealing with the epidemic or recovering the economy, the destiny of all countries is closely linked and human beings are a community of destiny in the same boat. Over the years, China and developing countries have always supported each other, demonstrating the power of solidarity and self-improvement, writing a chapter of South-South cooperation, and strongly promoting the historical process of democratization of international relations, multipolarization of the world and economic globalization. Beijing Jiaotong University, as a well-known institution of higher education in the field of transportation, has been actively developing international education in recent years. BJTU sincerely invites friends from the Bahamas to come to China, Beijing and BJTU to study and visit us in the future, and write a new chapter of bilateral cooperation together.

The exploration will last for 14 days, a total22 of 14 participants from the Bahamas Ministry of Works, Ministry of Planning, Ministry of Management and other units will attend the training. The training course will showcase our advantages in urban planning and construction, exchange and share construction management experience, and promote urban planning and construction in the Bahamas. The workshop will further strengthen the exchange and cooperation between China and the Bahamas, deepen the friendship between China and the Bahamas, and promote the internationalization of our education career.