China plans 12 new highways to Central Asian countries
China plans 12 new highways to Central Asian countries
AFP
Beijing: China plans to build 12 new highways linking its northwestern Xinjiang region and Central Asia, state media reported.
The planned roads will connect the region with China’s neighbours including Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Pakistan, the Xinhua news agency reported on 5 April, citing the regional transport administration.
The longest one will stretch from Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang, to Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan, the report said.
From Tashkent onwards, people travelling by car will be able to reach Iran’s Mashhad, Turkey’s Istanbul and ultimately Europe, the report said.
The road will be completed before 2010. Energy-hungry China has actively courted central Asia’s resource rich nations over the last few years as it seeks to power an economy that continues to roar ahead at average growth rates of around 10%.
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