Improving Transportation Infrastructure Network to Promote Openness and Development of China's Western Region

Chen Xingpeng

Prominent Issues and Suggestions:

Gansu Province, geographically shaped as a long strip, is located on the ancient Silk Road, thus enjoying the honor of “ Golden Channel”. Nowadays, however, we are facing some obstacles:

1) Insufficient fast track. Taking Longdong Area, the old revolutionary base as an example, there won’t be any fast track on the distance of five hundred kilometers from Lanzhou to Qingyang even if the high-speed rail from Yinchuan to Xi’an is finished. On this very note, I suggest the construction of a high-speed rail covering Taiyuan, Yan’an, Qingyang, Pingliang and Lanzhou shall start as soon as possible.

2) Some high-speed rails didn’t reach the projected speed. For instance, the railway from Lanzou to Urumqi travels at the speed of 200 kilometers per hour so that the travel to Xinjiang takes too long time. As a result, oasis economic development of the southern part of Xinjiang Province may be hampered by the relatively low speed transportation. Therefore, I suggest we should level up the standard of high-speed rail construction to raise its speed.

3) Gansu economic corridor is lack of full support of transportation. I suggest we should focus on the improvement of transportation to boost our economy. Priorities should be taken in building the highway from Lanzhou to Tianshui and national, provincial and county roads that can influence surrounding areas. In so doing, we can create favorable conditions for Lanzhou -Tianshui Economic Zone to expand eastward to Guanzhong Plateau-Tianshui Economic Zone.

For the full text, please refer to            完善交通基础设施网络 继续推进西部开发开放.pdf