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代表团在对制造业实力和基础设施能力感到惊讶后寻求加深与中国的关系 - 2025年07月09日
Delegations seek to deepen ties with China after being amazed by manufacturing prowess, infrastructure capability
International delegates touring factories, ports, museums, and other sites in Shanghai ahead of the Ministerial Meeting of the Global Civilizations Dialogue in Beijing were stunned by China's technological complexity, expressing strong interest in expanding cooperation across multiple sectors.
Delegates from Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica, Grenada, Peru, Vietnam, and others marveled at China's manufacturing prowess and infrastructure capabilities while at the Tesla Gigafactory, which accounts for over half of the carmaker's global output and has produced more than 3 million autos in less than five years, Yangshan Port, the world's largest automated container port, and other major sites in Shanghai.
"The level of technology is amazing, and I think there is a lot that we can learn from this whole venture," Gregory Riviere, international secretary of the Dominica Labour Party, said after visiting the Tesla plant. The factory has 500 robots but only 200 employees, which speaks of efficiency and quality, he noted.
Gloria Thomas, minister for social & community development of Grenada, pointed out that automation brings safety benefits. "You are only seeing machines working. You are not seeing humans. So that reduces the risk of accidents."
Yangshan Port: 'Magical' Display of Engineering Prowess
Yangshan Port and the 32.5-kilometer-long Donghai Bridge leading to it were equally impressive to the delegations. Riviere noted that "the bridge is almost as long as my country" and that the entire port is "nothing more than magical."
The Phase IV automated terminal of Yangshan Port handles 6.3 million twenty-foot equivalent units a year and has 125 autonomous vehicles. Shanghai's port container throughput exceeded 50 million TEUs last year, maintaining the city's spot as the world's largest seaport by container throughput for the 15th straight year.
Yangshan Port's automation sparked interest in potential cooperation among the international delegates. "We are in the process of developing our own container port back home," Riviere pointed out. "We are hoping that maybe we can get some cooperation as it relates to getting some of our young people trained in the technology."
The technology could benefit small island nations, Thomas noted. "If only my country had resources, we would have been able to link the main island to the smaller islands and develop that island."
"One of the impediments to electric vehicles is the question of supercharging ports," Riviere said. "If we were able to get assistance with charging ports, and governments provide incentives, more people will get into EVs."
In addition, China has ongoing infrastructure investments in Dominica, including rebuilding six major schools destroyed by Hurricane Maria and a new international port, Riviere pointed out.
China's foreign trade with 23 Latin American and Caribbean countries in its Belt and Road Initiative -- a modern-day Silk Road blueprint -- reached USD500 billion last year.
Expanding Beyond Traditional Cooperation
The visits highlight China's efforts to diversify its ties beyond traditional commodity trade relationships with Latin America and the Caribbean, with officials voicing their desire for alliances spanning education, healthcare, technology transfer, and infrastructure development.
"We have students that come to China to study and they have to learn the language," said Grenada's delegate Osbert Charles. "We have a Confucius Institute, which was refurbished by China, where they established this room to teach the Chinese language."
"If we train, we get this technical support from China and train women in non-traditional areas, so they will be able to earn more," Thomas noted. "With China part of our collaboration, we can assist in having a lot of women training in non-traditional areas."
For Peru's delegation, led by National Youth Secretary Luz Cauna, the visit represented an opportunity to share experiences. "As a political party, we will share this wonderful experience with our young militants about this majestic infrastructure," Cauna said.
"Small island developing states can probably take a page from China's book in terms of development and the path to successful economic growth," according to Charles.
The visit to Shanghai shows China's technological leadership to key stakeholders from regions where geopolitical competition is intensifying.
The two-day Ministerial Meeting of the Global Civilizations Dialogue, which kicks off in Beijing tomorrow, is themed "Safeguarding Diversity of Human Civilizations for World Peace and Development." The event has attracted over 600 participants from around 140 countries.
Source: Yicai Global
