Source: China Daily (China)
Source type: Newspaper
Published on: 27 Oct 2011
Posted on: 31 Oct 2011
CHENGDU - Transport ministers from Asian and European countries agreed on Wednesday to draft a mid- and long-term plan on building a seamless transport and logistics network between the two continents.
It is part of an action plan adopted by the second Asia-Europe Transport Ministers' Meeting that ran from Monday to Wednesday in the capital of Sichuan province.
"Asia and Europe are closely connected, without the separation of oceans. It is an advantage that should be tapped to build an efficient and convenient land transport network that could reduce logistics costs and boost trade," said Chinese Transport Minister Li Shenglin.
Currently, almost all cargo between China and Europe is done by maritime transport, as no road connects China and Europe due to a missing link in Central Asia. Rail transport between them faces many non-physical barriers - including technical ones and issues connected to taxation and customs, which makes cargo transport by rail take longer than by ship.
This means there is huge "unused potential in land transport", especially rail connections, said Henrik Hololei, head of cabinet to European Commission vice-president responsible for transport Siim Kallas.
China has been promoting the construction of both road and rail connections to Europe, including roads and railways via Central Asia, and roads to Mongolia and Russia, officials said.
A proposed route through Central Asia starts in China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, and passes through Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Turkey, before heading into Europe, said Ju Chengzhi, director of the International Affairs Department at the Ministry of Transport.
China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan have agreed to build roads and railways to make up part of the missing link between Asia and Europe, earlier reports said.
Zhang Xiaojie, a ministry official in charge of regional road issues, said that China is also promoting a route from northwestern China to Russia via Mongolia, and calling for three road links between northeastern China and Russia.
According to Zhang, China is proposing a road be built from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region through Mongolia to Russia, and a section within Mongolia is already under construction.
China and Russia also agreed to build three border bridges across the Heilong River connecting each other's road networks to boost trade and personal exchanges.
One of the earliest proposed bridges is a 1,080-meter bridge 7 km from the city of Heihe in Heilongjiang province. Earlier reports said China would invest 360 million yuan ($55 million) in the project.
Media reports said that construction of the bridge would start soon.
"China's National Development and Reform Commission has approved the projects and funds are already allocated We are urging the Russian side (to make it work) at every bilateral meeting," he said.
Insiders said that despite planning and proposals, the different laws, regulations and technical standards of countries along the routes pose non-physical barriers for the plans to become reality.
The second Asia-Europe Transport Minister's Meeting was attended by 36 members of the Asia-Europe Meeting, which was officially established in 1996.
The meeting is an inter-regional forum with 48 members. Its member countries account for 60 percent of world trade and more than half of global GDP.
By Xin Dingding (China Daily) - http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2011-10/27/content_13983919.htm