Completed Development AidData Chinese Aid

Chinese Government provides $10 million grant for ECU 911 Project

$10M USD

Funder	China Ministry of Commerce
Recipient Organization	Government of Ecuador
Country	Ecuador
Start Date	Jan 01, 2016
End Date	Apr 14, 2029
Duration	4,852 days
Number of Grantees	1
Roles	Recipient
Data Source	AidData Chinese Aid
Grant ID	`59662`

Grant Description

In an interview with Xinhua News, the Deputy Director of Ecuador’s Integrated Security Service ECU 911, Sixto Heras, said that the Chinese Government provided $10 million to the Government of Ecuador in 2016 for the construction of a 'Comprehensive Security Systems Laboratory.' China National Electronics Import & Export Corporation (CEIEC) was the contractor responsible for implementation.

The laboratory was reportedly constructed between October 7, 2016 and November 18, 2016.

During Xi Jinping's 2016 state visit, he visited the ECU 911 headquarters in Quito on November 18, 2016 to inaugurate the laboratory, which includes video surveillance systems and massive data storage spaces.

The surveillance system now has 16 regional response centers across the country, as well as a surveillance network with about 4,300 cameras across 24 provinces.

According to Ecuador's National Statistics and Census Institute (INEC), as of January 2018, the crime rate has dropped by 11.8 percent since implementing the ECU 911 Project.

According to Wang Fei, manager of CEIEC, 10 Chinese technicians with experience in software and communications work in the ‘joint laboratory’. Their assistance continued until at least 2019.

📋 Staff Comments

The ECU 911 Project is also known as the Ecuador 911 Safety Emergency Response Command Center Project, the National Public Safety Command and Control System Project, and the ECU 911 Security Project. The Chinese project title is 中厄公共安全联合实验室. The Spanish project title is Dotación de equipamiento para el fortalecimiento del Servicio Integrado de Seguridad ECU 911 or el primer laboratorio de investigación y desarrollo para sistemas de seguridad integral.
The flow type is assume to be a grant because the project was reportedly financed via ‘non-refundable Chinese cooperation’ (https://www.ecu911.gob.ec/ecu-911-fortalece-su-contingente-tecnologico-con-apoyo-de-cooperacion-del-gobierno-chino/). The phrase 'China-aided' is also imprinted on the walls of the laboratory.

📚 Sources & References

Laboratorio con tecnología china contribuye a seguridad ciudadana en Ecuador
Chinese president pledges further support for Ecuador's post-quake rebuilding
Chinese Government Builds Far-Reaching
Allegedly Corrupt
Surveillance System in Ecuador
Made in China
Exported to the World: The Surveillance State
Ecuador’s All-Seeing Eye Is Made in China, 2016 Annual Management Report
通讯：中国技术助力厄瓜多尔成为“拉美最安全国家之一”
Feature: Chinese technology brings falling crime rate to Ecuador
Chinese surveillance tech tapped by Ecuador
ECU 911 fortalece su contingente tecnológico con apoyo de cooperación del gobierno chino
中国电子在厄瓜多尔建立“中厄公共安全联合实验室” Loan applications and disbursements are still being received and processed as the projects continue to evolve. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation are in place to ensure project continuity.