On the red soil in the Menen district of Nauru, which was once riddled with phosphate mines, the roar of rotary drilling rigs shattered the tranquility of the morning. For the Minister of Land Management, Chamaine Scotty, this is not only the sound of machines, but also the echo of dreams landing.

Building a sports dream on top of the mine

This is the construction site for the pile foundation of the Nauru Sports Center project supported by the Chinese government. In the last century, Nauru left behind a large number of gray white coral columns and deep pits due to excessive exploitation of phosphate. Nowadays, a modern sports stadium is growing on an abandoned mine.

Chen Jian, the leader of the on-site management team for the Nauru Sports Center project supported by Beijing Institute of Architectural Design and Research Co., Ltd., introduced that the project site was originally an abandoned mining area with complex geological conditions and high construction difficulties. After extensive backfilling and foundation treatment, the Chinese side ultimately transformed it into usable land with construction conditions.

The planned construction of the Nauru Sports Center project includes a multifunctional sports center, standard track and field fields, football fields, and supporting training facilities. Currently, it has entered the critical stage of pile foundation construction, and various processes are steadily advancing. Sincerely thank you to the Chinese government and people. We will host the Micronesian Games in 2028. Without these facilities provided by China, we would probably not have been able to hold any competitions at all, "said Alamanda Laudy, President of the University of the South Pacific Nauru.

Island newborn opens up major arteries

Nauru is located in the vast Pacific Ocean and is known as Paradise Island. It is one of the smallest countries in the world in terms of area, with a population of approximately 12000. Like the location of the sports center project, many areas inland in Nauru have formed limestone landforms due to long-term salt mining, which are difficult to directly utilize. Local residents mostly live in narrow coastal areas, and due to the lack of agricultural soil and fresh water, almost all of their daily consumer goods rely on air transportation and ocean going cargo ships for supply.

Ava Port, located in the southwest of Nauru Island, is an important gateway for this small island to connect with the outside world. The majority of the construction of the Aiwo Port Terminal upgrade and renovation project, undertaken by Chinese funded enterprises, has been completed. From the sky, the almost transparent blue seawater beats against the concrete breakwater, and on the dock platform inside the breakwater, red, green, and blue containers are neatly arranged.

Not far from Awa Port, closer to the center of Nauru Island, arrays of photovoltaic panels are neatly arranged on a highland platform, shining with a metallic luster in the sunlight - this is also a solar energy project constructed by Chinese companies. Anthony Dimapilis, CEO of Nauru Public Utilities, said that the solar project, once put into operation, will help reduce Nauru's dependence on imported fuel and lower carbon emissions, marking a milestone for the entire Pacific region to move towards green energy.

The friendly lights illuminate a new life

As night falls, nearly 500 solar powered street lamps donated by Jiangmen, Guangdong, China gradually light up on the island. White lights are scattered on the open land near the shore, illuminating the residents' leisure time in the evening. The soilless cultivation plant factory built with the assistance of Jiangmen Agricultural Control Group has brought fresh vegetables to local residents.

At the local Egigu supermarket, vegetables from soilless plant factories are available on shelves three times a week. On a large gray white hard ground not far from the construction site of the Nauru Sports Center project, hundreds of local children are participating in a sports carnival activity. Keywords: Nauru, China, the Belt and Road

Lv Jin, Chinese Ambassador to Nauru, said that since the resumption of diplomatic relations between China and Nauru more than two years ago, the two sides have promoted the joint construction of the the Belt and Road to achieve a series of results based on the principles of mutual discussion, joint construction and sharing, openness, green integrity, high standards, and people's livelihood sustainability.Editor/Gong Ziwei