The China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) signed a cooperation agreement with the Liuzhou Railway Vocational Technical College in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Tuesday to cultivate professionals for the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project in Malaysia.

It is a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative.

After the completion of the railway, the CCCC will construct an operation and maintenance management system adapted to the local environment, based on the railway operation experience of China and the situation of Malaysian society and economy, said Kong Qi, general manager of the ECRL project.

“It is an EPCC project, or engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning, which means we need to set up rules and regulations for the railway’s operation and management. This is the basis of cooperation with the Liuzhou Railway Vocational Technical College. We need to cultivate talents for its operation,” said Kong.

“Guangxi is the starting point of China-ASEAN cooperation, and the Liuzhou Railway Vocational Technical College is strong enough in China’s railway education industry. It has shouldered many projects such as China-Laos Railway and Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway. That’s why we choose the school.”

The two sides will rely on the agreement to help cooperation and development between Guangxi and even China and ASEAN countries, Kong added.

With a length of 665 kilometers, the ECRL runs from Malaysia's largest transport hub Port Klang and travels across the peninsula to Kelantan state in northeastern Malaysia. It is expected to contribute 2.7percentage points to the country’s GDP.

The Liuzhou Railway Vocational Technical College has recruited 217 international students and trained more than 850 professionals for ASEAN countries.