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4 Wednesday, September 28, 2016
CHINA
CHINA DAILY» CHINADAILY.COM.CN/NATION
Developing nations in Central Asia, Europe,
Southeast Asia, Africa and other regions need
to have our news perspectives and voices heard.”
Wilson Flores, columnist at the Philippine Star newspaper
COMMERCE
Tradeinitiativeis‘directionoffuture’
Expert: Belt and Road strategy will be
applauded years from now as visionary
ByTANGYUE in Xi’an
tangyue@chinadaily.com.cn
The first US presidential
debate might have been the
most­watched event around
the globe on Monday night
local time, with the expected
protectionist remarks made
by candidates Donald Trump
and Hillary Clinton.
Yet, at the same time, across
the Pacific Ocean, the Belt and
Road Initiative, launched by
China three years ago to foster
economic ties, gained momentum
as media from China and
abroad expressed support.
“I know many people think
the most important event
today is the debate, which is
going on right now,” Robert
Kuhn, a US expert on China
and a host on China Central
Television, said on Tuesday at
the media session of the International
Seminar on the Belt
and Road Initiative in Xi’an,
Shaanxi province.
“However, looking back in
50 years or 100 years, I believe
this is a more important event
than the debate because it
pushes forward an important
initiative that is the direction
of the future,” Kuhn said at the
two­day seminar. China Daily
is a co­organizer.
In 2013, President Xi Jinping
proposed the Silk Road
Economic Belt, which
includes countries situated
on the original Silk Road,
passing through Central Asia,
West Asia, the Middle East
and Europe, as well as the 21st
Century Maritime Silk Road,
which covers Southeast Asia,
Oceania and North Africa.
By the end of June, China
had signed cooperation agreements
with more than 30
countries regarding the initiativeandisworkingwithanother
20 on capacity building
projects in the manufacturing
sector, according to a report by
Renmin University of China.
“Some countries that start
to turn inward, start to talk
protectionism, seem to be
more skeptical about trade.
This initiative is moving in the
opposite direction. It promotes
cooperation and business
across the border,” said
Jason Eugene Subler, Greater
China bureau chief of Reuters.
Some100mediarepresentatives
from about 20 countries
attended the seminar and
reached a written consensus
to be “a champion of the Silk
Road Spirit”, referring friendship
and cooperation throughout
history, and to be “an
active supporter of the initiative”.
Wilson Flores, a columnist
at the Philippine Star newspaper,
said the initiative allows
the media in participating
countries to better cooperate
and to enrich the diversity of
media voices, which has long
been dominated by Western
news organizations.
“As we evolve into a more
diverse and multipolar world,
developing nations in Central
Asia, Europe, Southeast Asia,
Africa and other regions need
to have our news perspectives
and voices heard.”
Kang Bing, deputy editor­inchief
of China Daily, suggested
that media organizations
along the route can jointly
identify topics to cover, develop
applications together,
co­produce microvideos and
launch special columns,
reports and web pages on the
platform of other countries.
TRANSPORTATION
Final section of bridge to Hong Kong, Macao completed
By ZHENG CAIXIONG
in Zhuhai, Guangdong and
SHADOWLI in Hong Kong
Installation of the final
35­metric­tonpieceoftheHong
Kong­Zhuhai­Macao Bridge —
an expansion joint — was completed
on Tuesday, marking the
start of the next phase of the
gigantic bridge project.
Zhu Yongling, director of
the bridge authority, made the
announcement in Zhuhai,
Guangdong province, on Tuesday
after the installation was
completed.
“This means construction of
the 22.9­kilometer­long
bridge, which is a major component
of the project, hasbeen
completed,” Zhu told media.
Experts said the bridge,
which is expected to open
before the end of 2017 will play
a significant role in enhancing
economic ties between Hong
Kong, Macao and Guangdong.
Chen Guanghan, vice­dean
of the Research Institute of the
Development of Guangdong,
Hong Kong and Macao, said
thebridgewillhelpHongKong
further expand its development
space when it advances
its cooperation with the vast
western part of the Pearl River
Delta region in Guangdong after
traffic begins to flow.
“The western partofthedelta
region, which includes the
prosperous cities of Zhuhai,
Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Yangjiang
and Taishan, still has huge
room for expansion and cooperation
with Hong Kong,”
Chen said on Tuesday.
“Meanwhile, Zhongshan,
the hometown of Dr Sun Yatsen;
and Jiangmen and Taishan,
the hometowns of myriad
overseas Chinese living
around the world, have rich
tourism resources for further
development,” he said.
“The bridge will help accelerate
the development of
Hong Kong’s international airport
and its ports and the
development of Hong Kong’s
LantouIslandarea,” Chensaid.
It is also expected to help
Hong Kong’s airport and ports
to attract more businesses,
Chen said.
Chen urged Hong Kong to
build more major shopping
RobertKuhn(right),aUSexpertonChinaandahostonChina
Central Television, speaks at the media session of the International
Seminar on the Belt and Road Initiative in Xi’an, Shaanxi province
onTuesday. HUO YAN / CHINA DAILY
centers and malls on Lantou
Island, with its rich tourism
resources, tomeetthedemand
from the large number of
mainland residents who are
expected to visit Hong Kong
after the bridge opens.
Song Haiyan, associate
dean of Hong Kong Polytechnic
University, predicted that
the bridge will positively
affect the economies of all
three cities.
Song said he does not
believe the bridge will necessarily
bring a great surge in
tourist traffic, but it will have a
positive effect overall, presenting
yet another option in addition
to plane, train or ferry for
travel between Hong Kong
and the mainland.
Hong Kong lawmaker Lo
Wai­kwok said the bridge will
fortify Hong Kong airport’s
pivotal role in the region, connecting
the western Pearl River
Delta and shortening the
journey from Zhuhai to Hong
Kong.
Lo said he is confident the
bridge will be finished on time,
noting that the most difficult
part is now complete.
The 55­kilometer bridge
includes a 6.7­kilometer
underwater tunnel and a 22.9
kilometer bridge that passes
over the sea, making it the
longest cross­sea bridge in the
world.
Construction of the
Y­shaped bridge started in
2009 and will cost more than
10 billion yuan ($1.5 billion). It
is part of the country’s
planned national highway
network, linking the western
and eastern banks of the Pearl
River.
Once in operation, the
bridge will help shorten the
current four­hour drive from
Hong Kong to Zhuhai to half
an hour.
The service life of the
bridge is expected to be
Above: Workers celebrate the completion of major
construction work on the Hong Kong­Zhuhai­Macao
Bridge on Tuesday. ZHONG FAN / FOR CHINA DAILY
Left: The bridge stretches 22.9 kilometers over
the water. LI JIANSHU / FOR CHINA DAILY
Hong Kong-Zhuhai-
Macao Bridge
Guangdong
Zhuhai
Macao
South China Sea
more than 120 years.
Hong Kong
200 km
CHINA DAILY
Contact the writers at zhengcaixiong@chinadaily.com.cn
INFRASTRUCTURE
Big money
sought to
connect
Asia­Pacific
By CHEN YINGQUN
in Yangzhou, Jiangsu
chenyingqun@chinadaily.com.cn
Joint efforts are needed
by Asia­Pacific countries to
create innovative financing
mechanisms to develop
infrastructure, according
to an official at a connectivity
symposium in
Yangzhou, Jiangsu province,
on Tuesday.
Huang Mengfu, honorary
chairman of the China
National Committee for
Pacific Economic Cooperation,
said at the symposium
— the International
Symposium: Connecting
the Connectivities in Asia
Pacific — that in 15 to 20
years, global demand for
infrastructure investment
will reach $50 trillion.
According to the World
Economic Forum, annual
demand globally is currently
$3.7 trillion, but as
there is a $1 trillion shortage
of investment, actual
investment is about $2.7
trillion, Huang said.
“No single economy or
any international organizationcanaffordtocoversuch
a huge margin. I believe we
especially need to mobilize
the participation of private
capital in connectivity, and
we should make full use of
public­private partnerships,”
Huang told representatives
from more than
20 Asia­Pacific countries
and regions at the event.
Zhou Qiangwu, head of
the Ministry of Finance’s
International Economics
and Finance Institute, said
connectivity in the Asia­Pacific
region currently lacks
capital, as well as mechanisms
to maximize its use.
“It may take a long time
forinvestorstomakeaprofit
by investing in infrastructure
projects in the connectivity
area, and sometimes
there are even political and
technical risks. As a result,
privatecapitalisreluctantto
invest in it,” he said.
However, there is currently
about $35 trillion in
idle private capital in the
Asia­Pacific region, Zhou
said. Multilateral development
organizations could
bring in more private capital
and help reduce risks
through creative financing
tools, Zhou said.
Huang, the chairman,
added that the Asia Infrastructure
Investment Bank
could help channel financial
support to infrastructure
construction.
SECURITY
China, India to enhance efforts against terrorism
ByZHANGYAN
zhangyan1@chinadaily.com.cn
China and India will
enhance law enforcement
cooperation to fight cross­border
terrorist attacks amid
increasing threats to the
region, according to the Ministry
of Public Security.
The agreement was reached
atthefirstChina­IndiaDialogue
on Counterterrorism and Security
held in Beijing on Tuesday.
During the conference, China
and India expressed their
concerns and exchanged
views on combating terrorist
attacks and conducting extensive
security cooperation.
They also reached consensus
on practical measures to cope
with the threat.
Establishing a China­India
counterterrorism dialogue
mechanism will play an essential
role in “enhancing their
mutual trust and deepening
pragmatic judicial cooperation
to fight terror attacks,
and in maintaining regional
security and stability”, said
Lan Jianxue, a researcher at
the China Institute of International
Studies.
Under such a complex security
situation, it’s urgent for
the two countries to “seize a
rare opportunity to create a
special dialogue, which will
eliminate previous suspicions
and guide them to implement
their counterterrorism action
plans”, Lan said.
Last November, China and
India issued a joint statement
to strengthen their judicial
cooperation to handle terrorist
crimes.
Although some achievements
have been made, challenges
still hinder progress in
deepening judicial cooperation,
observers say.
“It’s necessary for us reach
a consensus on terrorism’s
definition and scope, and on
conviction standards,” said
Su Qiang, a Beijing­based
lawyer who specializes in
researching regional security
in South Asia and the Middle
East.
Briefly
BEIJING
Website launched
to broadcast trials
China launched a website,
tingshen.court.gov.cn, to
broadcast court trials live on
Tuesday. The live trials will
involve various cases and better
safeguard people’s rights
to know and to supervise,
Zhou Qiang, head of China’s
Supreme People’s Court, said
at the launch ceremony.
Police told to
record activities
Police forces across China
must record the whole processes
of their law enforcement
activities, under a
guideline released on Tuesday
by the State Council, China’s
Cabinet. The regulation calls
for police authorities to better
digitalize officers’ activities,
and present all cases on the
internet, except those involving
State secrets.
NINGXIA
Mine explosion
kills12,traps8
Twelve people were killed and
eight others remain trapped
on Tuesday evening after an
underground gas explosion at
a coal mine in Shizuishan,
local authorities said. The
explosion occurred around 7
am in a mine run by Linli
Coal Mining Co. Local authorities
launched an emergency
rescue response and sent senior
officials to coordinate rescue
efforts at the site.
XINHUA—CHINA DAILY