Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to Mongolia

Shen Minjuan

In September this year, the Huajiang Canyon Bridge in Guizhou, China, went viral. Towering 625 meters above the ground with a main span of 1,420 meters, the world’s highest bridge stretches across a lush canyon like a steel dragon, cutting travel time between the two sides from two hours to just two minutes.

The Huajiang Canyon Bridge is number one in the world, but it is by no means the only one in China. Today, China leads the world by a wide margin in bridge construction. Among the world’s top 500 highest bridges, 439 are in China. As of 2024, China has 1.1081 million road bridges with a total length of 101,975.8 km, enough to circle the Earth two and a half times. The rapid growth of China’s bridges reflects not only a rise in overall national strength, but also the underlying logic of China’s effective governance.

Bridges reveal the people-centered values of China’s effective governance as well as the development philosophy of putting people first and the commitment that “no one should be left behind on the socialist path”. 

In Qinghai Province alone, 500 new bridges have been built this year, enabling more than 300,000 farmers and herders to bid farewell to wading across rivers or taking long detours. 

In Guizhou, the only province in China without plains, a dense network of bridges and over 9,000 kilometers of highways has created a “high-speed plain” amid rugged mountains and valleys. Long hampered by poor transport, Guizhou once had a poverty incidence as high as 26.8% and was regarded by UN experts as “inhabitable”. However, with improved connectivity, 9.23 million people have been lifted out of poverty. 

While some countries follow capital logic and channel infrastructure investment toward already wealthy areas, China has resolutely built bridges to the most remote villages and the steepest canyons. This reflects the Communist Party of China’s unwavering principle that development is for the people and by the people and that its fruits are shared by the people, so as to enhance their sense of gain, happiness and security.

Bridges showcase the remarkable achievements of China’s effective governance as well as the strategic resolve to carry out the set blueprint until it becomes reality. The Yangtze River Delta, comprising Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui and Shanghai, spans China’s southeast coast and inner land and is one of the country’s most dynamic economic regions. Yet the Yangtze River, Asia’s longest, runs west to east through this urban cluster. Overcoming water barriers, improving road connectivity, and facilitating the flow of production factors became a key task. 

Starting with the construction of the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge in 1960, successive Five-Year Plans have kept a continued focus on regional connectivity, especially on bridge building. More than 60 years later today, the region now has over 25 bridges crossing the Yangtze River. They have unblocked vital economic arteries and laid a solid foundation for high-quality development. In 2024, the region’s GDP reached USD 4.65 trillion, accounting for nearly one quarter of China’s total and ranking second among global urban clusters.

Bridges also demonstrate the enduring driving force of China’s effective governance as well as the institutional strength of mobilizing resources to accomplish major undertakings. The Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge, a “super project” stretching 55 kilometers, links Zhuhai in Guangdong Province with the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions. From planning to completion, the central government set up a dedicated task force to coordinate resources and efforts across central and local authorities and different departments, arranged financing of about USD 17 billion, resolved cross-regional challenges involving border arrangement, navigation clearance and anchorage, and organized engineering teams to conquer multiple world-class technical hurdles such as the rapid construction of artificial islands. The project stands as a vivid example of the socialist system’s ability to concentrate forces to achieve major goals.

China and Mongolia are friendly neighbors connected by mountains and rivers. In the 1950s and 1960s, more than 27,000 Chinese aid workers assisted Mongolia in building over 800 projects across the country. The Peace Bridge, Lion Bridge and Yarmag Bridge that residents of Ulaanbaatar cross every day are all fruits of their labor. In the 21st century, the Olympic Bridge and the New Yarmag Bridge, built with China’s support, have become new landmarks of the city. These bridges embody not only the wisdom and hard work of Chinese builders, but also China’s deep friendship with the Mongolian people.

Putting people first and pursuing development are shared aspirations of the Chinese and Mongolian peoples. Guided by the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity and using high-quality Belt and Road cooperation as a platform, China stands ready to work with Mongolia, to deepen alignment of development strategies and practical cooperation, and carry forward the traditional friendship. By doing so, we will deliver greater benefits to the two peoples and open up an even brighter future for the bilateral relations.