Economic Observation Network According to CCTV News App, during the 15th Five Year Plan period, China will build a "Golden Outer Ring" with a total length of nearly 27000 kilometers, which is equivalent to two-thirds of the circumference of the Earth's equator. It consists ofAlong The BorderNational Highway219、National Highway331 and coastal areasNational Highway228The three backbone channels are connected at the beginning and end.

This 27000 kilometer "Phnom Penh" is not a simple circular road. It is not only a tourist channel, but also an important resource development channel and a stable border channel. So, how will it empower China's high-quality development?

Recently, the Ministry of Transport announced that during the "15th Five Year Plan" period, it will comprehensively connect the three backbone national highways G219, G331, and G228 along the border, creating a "golden outer ring" that surrounds China's border and coast. This' Golden Outer Ring 'has a total length of about 27000 kilometers, which is approximately two-thirds of the circumference of the Earth's equator. Let's first take a look at the "family background" of each of these three national highways.

Li Hongchang, a researcher at the National High end Think Tank Sustainable Transportation Innovation Center and the Beijing Institute of Comprehensive Transportation Development at Beijing Jiaotong University:The northern route G331, from Dandong, Liaoning to Altay, Xinjiang, can be seen from the hills of Liaodong to Changbai Mountain, the Greater and Lesser Khingan Mountains, the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, and Altay in northern Xinjiang. Along the way, there are also the Yalu River, Wusuli River, Heilongjiang River, and Ertix River, which is known as the "most beautiful border road" with obvious features of mountains and waters. The western route G219 runs from Kanas in Xinjiang to Dongxing in Guangxi, and is one of the highest highways in the world with an average altitude difference of over 5000 meters. Along the way, there are snow capped mountains, grasslands, deserts, and Gobi. In terms of the eastern route, G228 is closely attached to the coastline, which can be said to connect all the core coastal ports into a chain.

The 'Golden Outer Ring' is not a simple connection of three backbone channels, but should take into account multiple factors such as development, security, ecology, and openness. It plays a key role in optimizing the spatial layout of the country and facilitating the internal and external circulation of the economy. Wu Zhihua, Deputy Director of the Comprehensive Planning Department of the Ministry of Transport, introduced that connecting Xinjiang and the sea is a summary of the most essential transportation function of the "Golden Outer Ring".

Wu Zhihua, Deputy Director of the Comprehensive Planning Department of the Ministry of Transport:It breaks the previous road grid pattern of independent and mostly peripheral highways along the border and coast, with Dandong in Liaoning, Dongxing in Guangxi, and Altay in Xinjiang as connecting points, connecting the northern and western borders and coastline of the motherland into a complete closed loop. The entire line connects hundreds of land ports with major coastal ports across the country, upgrading the coastal and sea network from a "one-way terminal" to a "circular network", and building a transportation artery for the coordinated development of border and coastal areas.

The 'Golden Outer Ring' is not an isolated existence, nor is it a starting point from scratch. It is a component of the four types of channels planned and constructed in China, including the border, coastal, and riverside channels. It supports each other with other channels and jointly consolidates the transportation foundation for high-quality development. The Ministry of Transport will focus on accelerating the opening up of the mountain crossing and sea crossing sections of the three national highways, and simultaneously promote the overall upgrading of the "Golden Outer Ring". It is expected that during the "15th Five Year Plan" period, the construction and renovation mileage will be about 7400 kilometers, and the total investment in construction and renovation is expected to be about 370 billion yuan. What are the challenges in the construction of the "Golden Outer Ring" from snow capped mountains and plateaus to grassland rainforests, and then to desert coastal areas?

Li Hongchang, a researcher at the National High end Think Tank Sustainable Transportation Innovation Center and the Beijing Institute of Comprehensive Transportation Development at Beijing Jiaotong University:From a construction perspective, the geological and natural conditions in which it is located are extremely harsh. In the western border section, G219 includes high-altitude areas, where permafrost, earthquake fault zones, avalanches, and rockfall disasters occur frequently. In the northern Gobi desert, there is a large temperature difference between day and night. In the eastern coastal areas, there are challenges such as seawater salt spray corrosion and soft soil foundation settlement, making the construction difficult. When we carry out construction projects, the window period is greatly constrained, and ecological protection is also greatly restricted. The amount of capital investment will be very large. Therefore, in the later stage, how to efficiently maintain and operate in environments with long mileage, high cold, frozen soil, and sandstorms is also very challenging. It can be said that it is indeed a very grand project, but it is also a highly challenging project on multiple levels.

When it comes to the 'Golden Outer Ring', people may first think of cultural tourism, which may become another 'must drive' route in life. But the 'Golden Outer Ring' is related to all aspects of economic and social development, and it not only lays out the scenery along the way, but also a long-term blueprint for regional coordinated development and two-way integration.

Li Hongchang stated that after the completion of the "Golden Outer Ring", it will become a key backbone channel connecting China's border areas, eastern coastal areas, and urban agglomeration bay areas. It will also become an important tourism channel, resource development channel, and stable border channel.

Li Hongchang, a researcher at the National High end Think Tank Sustainable Transportation Innovation Center and the Beijing Institute of Comprehensive Transportation Development at Beijing Jiaotong University:It does indeed have the functional characteristics of a cultural and tourism channel, but its transportation and logistics functions are still very strong, and it also plays a very important role in industrial development and import and export trade. In addition, it has an emergency rescue function and will become a vital channel for disaster relief, border patrol, and rapid delivery of supplies in the future. So, in this sense, it is a strategic and comprehensive channel, but the role of transportation support and guidance is fundamental. The "Golden Outer Ring" also connects scattered border ports, which can better reduce logistics costs and drive the development of labor capital trade activities.