China to Link Three National Highways into 27,000 km Land Loop in 15th Five-Year Plan

During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, China will fully connect border national highways G219 and G331 and coastal national highway G228, forming a land loop of about 27,000 km known as the Golden Grand Outer Ring. The loop is equivalent to two-thirds of the Earth's equatorial circumference and links coastal and inland regions. An official from the Transport Planning and Research Institute of the Ministry of Transport said the Golden Grand Outer Ring is part of the border, coastal and river corridor system that will optimise the territorial spatial layout and facilitate the smooth circulation of the economy both domestically and internationally.

Of the three highways, G331 runs from Dandong in Liaoning to Altay in Xinjiang, about 9,200 km, spanning the three northeastern provinces, Inner Mongolia, Gansu and Xinjiang. G219 runs from Kanas in Xinjiang to Dongxing in Guangxi, about 10,000 km, traversing Xinjiang, Tibet, Yunnan and Guangxi, and is one of the world's highest-altitude highways on average. G228 runs from Dandong in Liaoning to Dongxing in Guangxi, about 7,400 km, hugging the coastline, crossing multiple river systems and connecting key coastal ports. Once the three corridors are linked, they form an ultra-long-distance land loop.

According to the Ministry of Transport's plan, priority will be given to completing the mountain-crossing and sea-spanning sections of the three highways, while quality-upgrading projects will be advanced in parallel. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, about 7,400 km will be constructed or upgraded, with total investment of about RMB 370 billion. G219 and G331 will basically reach Class III or above standards, while coastal G228 will basically reach Class II or above standards. The completion rate of the main skeleton of the national comprehensive three-dimensional transport network will rise from the current 91% to 95%.

Once the Golden Grand Outer Ring is completed, it will improve transport conditions in remote areas. Border county towns and remote townships will be able to quickly connect to the trunk highway network, boosting the development of homestay economies, self-driving tourism and rural leisure industries along the route.