Belt and Road International Skills Competition promotes talent training, exchanges

Beijing: A skills competition for talent from countries and regions participating in the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) kicked off on Monday.

Analysts and participants pointed out that the competition is more than a platform for skills exchanges – it’s also a venue for deep cooperation of BRI partners in talent training.

The second Belt and Road International Skills Competition (BRISC) is taking place from Monday to Wednesday in Southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality. The competition brings together skilled elites from 61 countries and regions to exchange their skills and experience, and jointly promote the development and innovation of vocational skills, the Global Times learned from the organizer.

There are 18 skills competitions: including digital construction, logistics and freight forwarding, electronics, electrical

installations, optoelectronic technology, information network cabling, patisserie and confectionery operations, automobile technology (new energy), unmanned aerial vehicle maintenance, industrial robot system operation, Internet of Things installations and debugging, coffee making, and internet marketing.

The competition for industrial robot system operation will be held on Tuesday, with competitors from 12 countries including Russia, Thailand, Liberia and Lesotho.

Competitors from some economies had never seen robotic equipment outside their home countries before. After two days of vocational skills training before the competition, they have a strong interest in China’s industrial robot production. In addition to infrastructure in areas such as transportation and energy, jointly constructed industrial parks and economic cooperation zones are also landmark projects of the BRI, which have played significant roles in promoting investment, trade and job creation in the host countries.

China has organized many BRI-backed training workshops on skills such as electrical installation, electronics and beauty therapy in many countries, aiming to help develop vocational skills.

By 2030, BRI-related projects and investments could lift 7.6 million people out of extreme poverty and 32 million others out of moderate poverty, according to an estimate by the World Bank.