[Video provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Nine expats recently visited Ningbo Zhoushan Port in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, where they were amazed by the port‘s development and high-efficiency operations.

The expats are participants of the 2023 Ningbo International Vocal Competition, which was held from Dec 2 to 11 in the city. Six of them are from countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). On Dec 11, they visited Ningbo Zhoushan Port with Tan Jian, a professor at NingboTech University, and Wu Yidan, a host from Yongpai, a local media outlet.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the launch of the BRI. Over the past decade, Ningbo Zhoushan Port, an important part of the BRI, has also made great leaps forward.

It has launched more than 300 container shipping routes connecting over 600 ports in some 200 countries and regions. And 125 routes link countries participating in the BRI, an increase of 71.2 percent over 2013.

In 2022, the port achieved cargo throughput of 1.26 billion tons and topped the global rankings for the 14th straight year. It has also ranked third in terms of annual container throughput for the past four years.

"The rapid development of Ningbo Zhoushan Port also symbolizes China's contribution to the Belt and Road Initiative, creating and extending a path to shared prosperity for the world," said Tan.

"It's helping to make the world smaller. We can get goods from anywhere, and we’re not limited by one location," said Esther Maureen Kelly from the United States.

Talking about the BRI, the Romanian singer Laurentia Andreea Paraschiv said that not only trade but also cultures and people are connected, which are very important for development. 

Watch the video to explore the busy port and the BRI with them!