MEA Sept 2017 cover- ALUPCO

MEAMARKETS / September 2017 7 NEWS , China is supporting $51 billion of infra- structure develop- ment in Pakistan as part of the ‘China Pakistan Economic Corridor’ (CPEC) to develop key infrastruc- ture projects like roads, railways and power stations which will modernise Pakistan’s economy and boost access to trade. It is part of China’s broader ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ to replicate the ancient Silk Road trade routes with modern trading relationships and investments across Asia, the Middle East and into Europe. Greg Hands on 4th April met with leading UK businesses, policy ex- perts and senior representatives of the Chinese and Pakistani gov- ernments as the UK is poised to be a key partner of CPEC, ahead of a larger CPEC conference in Islamabad in May being hosted by the UK. International Trade Minister Greg Hands said: “Britain is a country of free-trade influence and can be an important partner for Chi- na and Pakistan in the delivery of huge infrastructure projects that are being planned between the 2 countries. As part of an outward looking Global Britain, we have a clear ambition to increase trade with both China and Pakistan and UK businesses are well placed to capitalise on the new opportuni- ties the region.” Participants in the roundtable in- cluded the Chinese Ambassador, Pakistani High Commissioner to the UK and UK High Commission- er to Pakistan. As well as experts from CityUK, the Royal United Services Institute and the China Britain Business Council. Busi- nesses including HSBC, Deloitte HFI Consulting International Helps North Sea Firms Gain Leverage fromMajor Plans to Diversify Saudi Arabia’s Economy step forward in terms of safety during the pilgrimage.” The project saw the installation of a total of 338 people-moving solu- tions including a total of 308 esca- lators. There are 28 escalators in each of the 11 towers in the main bridge structure and 20 in the two external accesses to the bridge – the Sidki and Sabak links. The bridge is also equipped with six passenger elevators, two ambu- lance elevators and two helipad elevators. Each escalator can be used to transport pilgrims up or down in the structure depending on the flow of the crowd and guid- ance from the security force on the ground. During the annual Hajj season, escalators, running 24 hours a day, transport as many as four million passengers daily with an estimated 12.5–15 million total rides estimated for 2017. Each pilgrim’s passage through the Ja- marat Bridge is facilitated by way of at least one of the hundreds of Otis escalators moving people to the holy stone pelting ritual or helping them safely exit the bridge. To ensure that the millions visiting during Hajj move safely and smoothly through the struc- ture, a team of approximately 200 highly skilled Otis technicians work around-the-clock monitoring and servicing the escalators and elevators. The average response time of this team during Hajj is just five minutes. The MDA has recog- nized Otis for its contributions to Hajj every year since 2012. “We’re very proud to ensure the safety of pilgrims at the Jamarat Bridge,” said Fernando Condin- ho, managing director, Otis Saudi Arabia. “We take our responsibil- ity very seriously with resulting 99% efficiency for our equipment here.” The Jamarat Bridge was de- signed with the future in mind. If the rising number of pilgrims outgrows the Bridge, the struc- ture can be expanded to accom- modate increased capacity. If this expansion does indeed take place, the team at Otis is poised to solve the new challenges in crowd management. Middle East business expansion specialist HFI Consulting International has launched a new service to help energy and water firms develop joint ventures, in the wake of major plans to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy. and Standard Chartered also dis- cussed how they and other British firms can support the delivery of CPEC. A joint statement in 2015 between the UK and Chinese govern- ments committed both countries to support each other’s commer- cial co-operation in new markets, including the Belt and Road, and the $51 billion being invested by China in Pakistan presents big opportunities for UK businesses in the next few years. www.gov.uk