Colombo (AFP)

Artificial island in Sri Lanka, bridge in Bangladesh or hydroelectric projects in Indonesia: across Asia, the ambitious infrastructure projects launched by China on its "silk routes" are stopped or extremely slowed down, seized by the spread of the new coronavirus.

The epidemic of viral pneumonia paralyzes the Chinese economy, with the confinement of tens of millions of people, while dozens of countries impose restrictions on travelers coming from China.

Immediate consequence for multiple projects funded by Beijing in Asia: the deliveries of materials have stopped and, above all, the workforce of Chinese workers is sorely lacking.

In Sri Lanka, "the major infrastructure projects funded by China mainly employ Chinese workers, and are embarrassed," said the secretary of the National Chamber of Construction Industries, Nissanka Wijeratne. .

Especially since the country imposes a quarantine of 14 days on workers returning from China, confined to their dormitories.

The gigantic artificial city project of Port City, construction site at 1.4 billion dollars near the capital Colombo, is therefore progressing in slow motion: a third of the Chinese workers returned to their country for the Lunar New Year holidays have not returned .

Their canteen remains half empty, AFP noted. And distrust reigns on the site, complicating the recovery.

"Most of our Chinese colleagues want to come back, but the local employees remain afraid of being around them," sighs a Chinese foreman, Mr. Xia. "Difficult to know when things will return to normal".

A neighboring pharmacy thus successfully sells "Ayurvedic amulets" based on turmeric and resin, supposed to "preserve infections". They tear themselves away among the workers of the "Chinese construction sites", rejoices the pharmacist Anjana Paramesh.

Another site affected: the opening of the tallest communication tower in South Asia, built with Chinese capital in Colombo, was delayed by two months.

- Hanging bridge-

The Chinese administration overseeing state-owned enterprises recognizes "difficulties". Some groups "isolate their employees 14 days in China and then another 14 days in the country concerned", laments its secretary general Peng Huagang.

More radical, Bangladesh has stopped issuing visas to Chinese nationals.

The Bangladesh China Power Company power plant, a $ 2.5 billion infrastructure financed by China in Payra (south), employs some 3,000 Chinese.

Almost two-thirds did not return from their vacation in China, according to project manager Abdul Moula.

"We plan to start at full capacity next month but if at least 300 workers do not return by the end of February, electricity production will be delayed," he insists.

About a third of the 980 Chinese workers have not yet returned to the construction of the Padma Bridge, a 3.5 billion dollar infrastructure of the state-owned China Major Railway Bridge, according to site manager Dewan Abdul Kader.

Same difficulties on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, where the construction of the Batang Toru hydroelectric plant is suspended for lack of workers after the decision of Indonesia to interrupt its flights with mainland China.

The construction of the TGV Jakarta-Bandung link ($ 6 billion) is also delayed.

- 'Difficult to replace' -

In Nepal, where a dozen hydroelectric infrastructure projects are financed by China, the absence of Chinese workers is also sorely felt.

"The projects are delayed or slowed down. Many were skilled workers, difficult to replace locally," said Vishnu Bahadur Singh of the Nepalese hydroelectric federation.

These setbacks come as the new "Silk Roads", a vast infrastructure plan launched by China across the globe, are experiencing many local resistances, in particular in Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Indonesia, where contracts are being renegotiated. Beijing is notably accused of encouraging massive and unmanageable debt for these partner countries.

But for Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the epidemic should not derail these projects in Asia: "There will be no negative impact," he said.

© 2020 AFP