Spotlight: Chinese technology stands test of Ecuador's earthquake

Chinese-manufactured equipment and the infrastructure facilities built by Chinese enterprises have stood the test of a strong earthquake that jolted Ecuador earlier this month, setting a paradigm for production capacity cooperation with Latin America.

The deadly 7.8-magnitude tremor, which struck the northern Pacific coast of Ecuador on April 16, has caused heavy losses of human lives and property damage in the South American country.

According to Ecuadorian authorities, the death toll has risen to nearly 650 and close to 7,000 buildings have been destroyed.

But dams, roads and bridges constructed by Chinese companies survived the disaster safe and sound, while Ecuadorians also hailed Chinese enterprises' relief efforts.

Many Ecuadorians said that in their country, the Chinese enterprises are always reliable and ready to help them in times of natural disasters.

Currently over 120 Chinese industrial and business bodies have registered with the Chinese embassy in Ecuador. Their businesses range from hydraulic electricity generation and road and bridge construction to communication and financial services.

CHINESE-MADE EQUIPMENTS HELP SAVE LIVES

During this deadly earthquake, equipment made in China have played an important role in saving lives after the deadly quake.

The ECU911 emergency warning and monitoring system, designed and built by China National Electronics Import and Export Corp.(CEIEC), connects Ecuador's various security and disaster relief agencies, such as police forces, fire departments, transportation, paramedic units and the Red Cross, to aid reaction speed to emergencies via a single telephone number -- 911.

Covering the entire country via 16 command and control centers, ECU911 is playing a key role in handling emergency needs from the quake-struck regions and coordinating rescue work.

ECU911 is an integrated system of police services, video surveillance with thousands of cameras, GPS, geographic information, and a smart analysis of resources, among others.

In ECU911's headquarters in Quito, some 20 Chinese technicians have been working day and night to ensure this life-saving system runs well since the earthquake hit the country.

During the first two days after the killer quake, ECU911 handled at least 17,888 emergency cases.

"After the earthquake, we are operating at 100 percent to help grant the coverage the country needs," said Francisco Rolayo, director of ECU911 Quito Center.

"Our crisis center regroups help at all levels of government, to send food, rescue materials and other necessities while we also coordinate the planes being sent to help in relief efforts, mainly to the province of Manabi," he added, saying ECU911 regional centers for the quake-struck areas like Esmeraldas, Portoviejo, Santo Domingo and Machala are also available to provide necessary services.

PARADIGM FOR PRODUCTION CAPACITY COOPERATION

Meanwhile, the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric plant, the largest one in Ecuador built by China's Sinohydro Corporation, remained intact during the earthquake.

The first four of the eight turbines in total at the plant were started on April 13, only three days before the quake.

When the earthquake happened, the turbines stopped running following the automatic start of a self-production system.

After checking and ensuring the safety of the plant, Chinese technicians restarted them and increased power output to provide sufficient electricity for disaster relief operations.

In a university in the quake zone, classrooms, apartments and laboratories built by Chinese enterprises have been used to shelter quake-stricken victims and store relief materials.

Trucks carrying relief materials and workers were running on the roads and bridges, which did not suffer structural damages during the quake.

As a matter of fact, the high quality of Chinese-made equipment and the infrastructure facilities built by Chinese enterprises are just a good example for production capacity cooperation between China and Latin American countries.

In May, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited Brazil, Peru, Colombia and Chile, during which he promoted bilateral cooperation in industrial capacity and international equipment manufacturing.

With China and Latin America highly complementary to each other in economic development, the latter needs to improve its industrial competitiveness through productive investment and to adjust its economic structure to get rid of reliance on raw materials.

China's measures to increase domestic demand will boost Latin America's exports. Meanwhile, capital, technologies and industrial advantages accumulated during China's reform and opening-up will provide strong support for Latin America's industrialization.

And the high quality of Chinese-built equipment and infrastructure is a guarantee for the two sides' industrial capacity cooperation. Endi