Building a strong BRI ecosystem

Lothar Herrmann, president and CEO of Siemens China

A1 Siemens welcomes the development concept behind the BRI - reaching out to the world, connecting people and economies, and helping societies prosper in multiple regions of the world. With the BRI China is enabling the construction of infrastructure that will cover 65 percent of the world's population. This initiative has the potential to become the largest investment program of all time.

A2 The BRI has proved to be a strong force linking people and economies through cross-border activities with the potential that many regions can achieve social prosperity. Siemens recognizes and supports this idea, and has contributed to it through its vast technology portfolio, rich international experience, global footprint, strong knowledge of the local customs and legal environment, and the ability to create local value for these societies.

A3 In my view, the BRI is about infrastructure and bridge-building to connect societies, economies and cultures, and also about bridges between the physical infrastructure and the digital world. Siemens is a leading infrastructure company when it comes to linking those worlds and being able to establish a digital ecosystem. It is our vision to co-create a digital Silk Road together with stakeholders from around the world.

A4 It is the duty of the global political and economic community not to simply let the BRI happen, but to shape the initiative by co-creating projects that benefit not only China, but every receiving country. This, of course, will require a more careful due diligence of projects among all relevant stakeholders, especially those receiving countries, to ensure long-lasting quality and maximum efficiency. Equally important, the nature and one key success factor of the BRI, being open and inclusive, shall lead to a well-designed institution where all players can participate and collaborate on an equal footing and in an open and mutually beneficial way.

A5 The BRI has proved to be a powerful force for accelerating infrastructure development already in many participating economies. I'd like to mention just two projects, which showcase how we co-create values with our Chinese counterparts for the localities. Siemens worked with China Tianchen Engineering to build one of the world's largest soda ash factories in Turkey. This project, put into operation at the end of 2017, created around 2,000 local jobs. Furthermore, in September 2017, Siemens supported China Machinery Engineering Corporation in a gas power plant EPC project in Pakistan. The new power plant will be capable of providing an amount of electricity that is equivalent to the total consumption of about four million Pakistani households.