On October 21, 2011, Chinese Ambassador Hu Shan attended the "Meeting of Pledge" held by China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd America (China Construction America for short) (CSCEC) for the Baha Mar Project and delivered a keynote speech. Mr. Yuan Ning, President of China Construction America, Mr. Ji Jiaming, General Manager of CSCEC First Building Corporation(Group) Ltd., Mr. Sun Deming, Deputy General Manager of CSCEC First Building Corporation(Group) Ltd., Mr. Wu Taizhong, Executive Vice President of China Construction America, staff of the Chinese Embassy and the Chinese workers with the Baha Mar Project were present at the meeting.
In his speech, Ambassador Hu pointed out with emphasis that the Baha Mar Project is a project with international influence, China Construction America and the Export and Import Bank of China offered significant amount of fund in the project. He wanted every Chinese involved to pay great attention to the project and make it a top-notch resort through meticulous efforts. Ambassador Hu reminded them of workplace and personal safety, advised them to abide by local laws and regulations and to illustrate the good image of the Chinese people.
Mr. Yuan Ning and Mr. Ji Jiaming also made speeches respectively. A number of worker representatives pledged to carry on the fine tradition of CSCEC, that is to pursue improvement all the time by overcoming difficulties and fulfill construction tasks as scheduled with high quality. It was their wish to bring benefits to local people, and foster an excellent image of Chinese people and Chinese enterprises through such a mega-project, thus making contributions to the China-Bahamas bilateral friendly cooperation.
Full Text of Ambassador Hu Shan's Speech at "Meeting of Pledge"
Held by China Construction America for Baha Mar Project
Dear Mr. Yuan Ning, Mr. Ji Jiaming, Mr. Sun Deming, Mr. Wu Taizhong,
Dear fellow Chinese,
I am delighted to attend today's Meeting of Pledge for the Baha Mar Project. First of all, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome, on behalf of the Embassy, all of you to come to The Bahamas, a country far away from China, our home country, for the construction of a world-class mega-resort, the Baha Mar Project.
Just now, Mr. Yuan Ning and Mr. Ji Jiaming made their mobilization speeches respectively. I fully agree with them. Now I'd like to focus on several points.
Firstly, great attention should be paid to ensuring its timely accomplishment.
You might have known that the total investment of this Project will be 3.5 billion US dollars, among which total loan and investment approved by the Chinese government is 2.6 billion US dollars. It is the largest ever resort project in the Caribbean region, and its was admired by The Bahamas' its neighboring countries.
Since last year, some heads of government and entrepreneurs from the Caribbean countries have expressed their wishes of using loans from Chinese banks in the same pattern as is with the Baha Mar Project and letting Chinese construction companies build new resorts.
Later last February when I was still the Chinese Consul-General in Sydney, Australia, there was news about the ground-breaking ceremony of the Project in Sydney Morning Herald. Some officials and friends in New South Wales inquired of me about it. It is obvious that the Project not only caused a sensation in the Caribbean region but caught the attention of other countries and regions.
So from economic or political perspective, we must make this project a success and no failure is affordable. Each of you was chosen through strict selection, and China Construction America is an highly internationalized corporation. There's no excuse for failure.
I am happy to see that everyone of you is full of vigour and in high spirits. I am fully convinced that, with joint efforts, this project will surely be a successful one.
Moreover, what I 'd like to see most is the making of an "iron army" of construction after the construction of this Project: familiar with both international and domestic markets and with the capacity to fulfill difficult tasks. This iron army should lay a solid foundation for China State Construction Engineering Corporation to advance fully into the market of the developed countries.
Second, great attention should be paid to the quality of such a top-notch resort and also construction safety.
The Bahamas, fairly rich with per capita GDP of more than 20,000 US dollars, is at the junction of developing and developed countries in term of developing level. Located close to the US, The Bahamas is called the "outskirts of the US", with features of a developed country in many aspects.
Take architecture for example, the Bahamians are proud of their construction standards which are the strictest in the frequently-stricken hurricane areas of the world. In August 1992, Hurricane Andrew destroyed 25,000 rooms, caused a death toll of 27 in Florida, leaving almost 80,000 people homeless. However, the losses caused to The Bahamas was several thousand rooms and the death of 4 people.
Of course, this was partly because the hurricane gained momentum when it reached the US. Conversely, it can be an evidence that the Bahamian level of architecture safety and anti-disaster capacity well matches that of the US. In electrical engineering, The Bahamas adopts the Canadian standards, which takes the lead in the world.
As for the Baha Mar project, the size is world-class, the construction standards are the highest, same as the US, the electrical standards equal those of Canada, the designing is out of top designing firms in the world, the future management will be provided by world-class hotel management companies, and the construction team is from a Chinese corporation, which also takes the lead in the world.
With all world-class partners or competitors with us, the construction and management must be of world class. That is the goal we should set.
What I also want to stress here is "safety first" when abroad. Our government leaders, ministers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Commerce, are much concerned about construction and personal safety and security of the Chinese workers overseas. I am instructed to pay close attention to this issue.
The Corporation is advised to put enough efforts into construction safety and enough money for complete implementation of relevant measures. We have to handle this matter with meticulous care.
Safety rules should be implemented and supervised carefully. Safety regulations should be carried out seriously. Anyone who is not up to safety requirements is allowed to carry out the work.
It should always be remembered that "Strict rules mean care while slack in management means harm". For the sake of safety, everyone must totally obey safety supervision and support the supervisors.
I'd also like to advise everybody to pay attention to the safety of personal property. The security condition in The Bahamas is getting no better this year. The cases of murder, robbery and theft this year are on the rise compared with those of last year.
So you'd better go with other co-workers and not go alone when you really need to go beyond the construction site. Do not go through remote and dark areas and avoid physical conflicts with locals. Do not take too much cash with you and always take good care of your valuables.
In brief, it is my best wish that you arrive in The Bahamas with joy and in good health and go back home safely and healthily upon completion of the project here.
The Embassy is scheduled to give lectures on safety and security together with Bahamian police and produce a security brochure for your reference later.
Thirdly, abide by local laws and regulations, behave in good manner and foster an excellent image of the Chinese people.
In China, we are all common citizens, no big difference from one another while when abroad, whatever we do is a reflection of China. We must keep that in mind. Everyone represents the whole of the Chinese people as well as Chinese construction workers.
The Bahamas is a well-known tourism attraction in the world. There are more than 5 million foreign tourists visiting The Bahamas every year and around 20,000 tourists in Nassau each day. What foreign tourists take from here back to their home countries is what they see and hear in Nassau and the Family islands.
So great attention should be paid to our behaviors here. What we impress the Bahamian co-workers and foreign tourists should not only be good skills, images and working attitude, but good manners as well, such as observing discipline, obeying laws, respecting local customs and habits during our stay in The Bahamas.
Dear fellowmen, the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, I hereby extend, on behalf of the Embassy, our festive greetings to you and your family back in China, and wish you and your family good health and a happy life.
Thank you.