Safety Issues, Poor Construction Plague China’s Belt and Road Initiative Projects

A Chinese worker from the PT Indonesian Tsingshan Stainless Steel Company was sent to the Morowali Regional General Hospital in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia on December 24, 2023. On the same day, an explosion occurred at the Chinese-owned nickel processing plant, resulting in the deaths of 21 workers. (STR/AFP)

News Analysis

The identification of two Chinese citizens as suspects in a December explosion at a Chinese-owned nickel plant on Sulawesi Island that killed over 21 people has shed light on the issue of safety standards and construction quality associated with projects supported by the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The explosion occurred on Dec. 24 at the PT Indonesian Tsingshan Stainless Steel Company (PT ITSS), China’s Tsingshan Holding Group Company Limited subsidiary. Investigators found that during a maintenance process, flammable and explosive materials were left inside the furnace, leading to the fatal explosion. Reports also suggested that the presence of residual liquid ignited a fire, subsequently triggering nearby oxygen cylinders.

On Feb. 12, Agus Nugroho, the chief of the Sulawesi Provincial Police Department, suggested the cause of the explosion was due to the negligence of the company’s furnace supervisor and deputy supervisor and named them as suspects.

Nickel is a key component of batteries for electric vehicles.

This was not the first time an explosion had occurred, prompting Indonesian workers to speculate as to whether Chinese-funded enterprises valued production over the safety of workers.

Safety Concerns 

In January 2023, an Indonesian labor organization staged a protest citing the mounting safety concerns involving China’s overseas ventures. Protestors demanded better wages and enhanced safety conditions at the PT Gunbuster Nickel Industry (GNI) Company, a subsidiary of China’s Jiangsu Delong Nickel Industry.

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During the protest, Minggu Bulu, a former GNI Company employee, recounted a series of safety hazards over the past year, including fatal incidents like a motorcycle collision with heavy machinery and a smelting plant explosion.

Less than two months after the protest, three Chinese workers at the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) lodged complaints with the Indonesian National Human Rights Commission, citing that they suffered deteriorating health conditions due to working seven days a week at the industrial park, inhaling large amounts of dust and smoke without proper safety protective equipment. IMIP is majority-owned by Shanghai Dingxin Investment Group Co., Ltd., with Indonesia’s Bintang Eight Investment Co., Ltd. as a shareholder.

In 2022, IMIP witnessed multiple tragedies, such as a Chinese worker’s fatal accident, being run over by a truck while repairing roads, and an Indonesian man’s death due to a furnace explosion.

The Indonesian Chinese-funded enterprises mentioned above are all part of the BRI.

The recent Indonesian furnace explosion underscored China’s lax management practices, which are indicative of the CCP’s overall disregard for human life. This same disregard permeates within China, as evidenced by a continuing string of industrial accidents. Combined with the CCP’s extensive investments in BRI projects spanning 70 countries, China’s safety lapses now extend globally, posing grave risks to foreign workers and communities.

Concerns Mount Over CCP-Financed Projects Overseas

CCP-financed projects overseas have shown instances of poor quality, with structural deficiencies emerging, raising concerns about the reliability and safety of these ventures.

In Ecuador, the CCP’s $2.7 billion Coca Codo Sinclair Dam has faced criticism for its thousands of cracks and erosion along the slopes of the Coca River, posing potential risks to the dam’s integrity.

René Ortiz, former Energy Minister of Ecuador, attributes the current challenges to the inferior quality of equipment and components utilized in projects built by China.

Similar issues have surfaced in Pakistan, where the Neelum–Jhelum Hydropower Plant was shut down after officials discovered a tunnel crack jeopardizing its structural stability. The crack was in a tunnel that transports water through mountains to drive turbines.

Tauseef Farooqui, head of the Pakistan Electric Power Regulatory Authority, told the Pakistani Senate in November 2022 that he was concerned that the tunnel could collapse four years after the 969-megawatt power plant began operations.

In Uganda, over 500 construction defects plaguing the 183-megawatt Isimba Hydroelectric Power Station, built by China on the Nile River, have led to frequent failures since its inception in 2019. According to Uganda Electricity Generation Company (UEGC), the failure to build a floating barrier to protect the dam from water hyacinths and other debris during the construction of the power station led to turbine blockages and power outages. UEGC stated that leaks have also occurred on the power station’s roof where the generators and turbines are located.

Another Chinese-built project downstream of the Nile River—the 600-megawatt Karuma Hydroelectric Power Station—was completed three years later than planned in Uganda. Ugandan officials attributed the delay to various construction defects, including cracked walls. UEGC also stated that the Chinese contractor, China International Water and Electric Corporation, installed faulty cables, switches, and fire suppression systems that need replacement.

Even in Angola, where China’s CITIC Group constructed the Kilamba Kiaxi social housing project, residents have voiced grievances over cracked walls, moldy ceilings, and poor construction quality ten years after occupancy began.

This large social housing project is on the capital’s outskirts, Luanda. Resident Aida Francisco said, “Our buildings have many cracks.”