China has unveiled plans to strengthen its transport sector over the next 15 years, with the aim of developing a modern, high-quality and comprehensive national transport network.
By 2035, the country's transport network should be convenient, cost-effective, green, intelligent and safe, according to guidelines jointly released by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council.
China's transport network in 2035
The total scale of the national comprehensive transport network will reach about 700,000 km by 2035, excluding the mileage of overseas sections of international land passages, air and sea routes and postal routes, according to the guidelines, including around 200,000 km of railways, 460,000 km of highways and 25,000 km of high-grade waterways, with 27 major coastal ports, 36 major inland ports, about 400 civil-transport airports and about 80 postal express-delivery hubs.
The new transport network will include six axes, seven corridors and eight thoroughfares. Amid the layout, three cross-strait links stand out – one is from Fuzhou to Taipei across the Taiwan Straits; the second is from Zhanjiang to Haikou across the Qiongzhou Strait; and the third is from Dalian to Yantai across the Bohai Strait.
China's 2035 transport network plans bridging three straits
Here are some cross-water projects linking the three straits.
Bohai Strait
G15 Shenyang-Haikou Expressway
The expressway connecting the cities of Shenyang, Liaoning and Hainan's Haikou is complete except for two major water crossings: one is from Dalian, Liaoning to Yantai, Shandong; the second is across the Qiongzhou Strait from Zhanjiang, Guangdong to Haikou, Hainan.
An undersea tunnel construction project beneath the Bohai Strait has been proposed to connect Dalian on the Liaodong Peninsula with Yantai on the Shandong Peninsula.
Taiwan Straits
G3 Beijing-Taipei Expressway
The expressway connects Beijing with Taipei in the Taiwan region. Currently, it is complete from Beijing to Fuzhou, Fujian. The Taiwan Straits Tunnel Project is proposed to connect Pingtan, Fujian to Hsinchu in the Taiwan region as part of the expressway.
Beijing-Taipei high-speed railway
A railway connecting Beijing and Fuzhou has been put into operation. In December, the Fuzhou-Pingtan section was opened for operation, and it was connected by the Pingtan Strait Road-Rail Bridge, China's first road-rail bridge.
Qiongzhou Strait
Guangdong-Hainan railway
The railway operates from Zhanjiang, Guangdong to Haikou, Hainan, via a ferry service. Put into operation in 2003, it was the first cross-sea railway in China. The Guangdong-Hainan Ferry carries rail cars and automotive vehicles across the strait.
(Graphics: Li Jingjie, Liu Shaozhen)