China plans to forge southern Shenzhen-Rotterdam land bridge

CHINA is developing a third Eurasian land bridge, an overland route connecting the Pacific to the Atlantic along a southern corridor from Shenzhen to Rotterdam, Xinhua reported.

The proposed land bridge would run from Shenzhen adjacent to Hong Kong, across the south western province of Yunnan, then into Burma, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, entering Europe and terminating at Rotterdam.

The route runs through 21 countries and covers 15,157 kilometres - 3,000 kilometres shorter than the ocean shipping route from south China to Europe via the Strait of Malacca and Indian Ocean.

The report said the new land bridge will make a favourable position to Yunnan, which borders on Vietnam, Laos and Burma, into full play and stimulate the economic growth of the province.

The first Eurasian land bridge, also known as the Siberian Land Bridge, runs from eastern Russia across north Asia into Europe via the Trans-Siberian Railway that links up to Rotterdam over 13,000 kilometres.

The second Eurasian land bridge starts from eastern China port city of Lianyungang, running through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany to Rotterdam, covering a distance of 10,900 kilometres - 2,000 kilometres shorter than the first route, and 11,000 kilometres shorter than the ocean shipping route from China to Europe via the Panama Canal.