Building a Sustainable and Resilient Asian Highway Network to 
Support SDG Implementation in Asia and the Pacific

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It's a pleasure to co-organize this side event with the ESCAP Secretariat, and we appreciate the thoughtful arrangement by the Secretariat. Welcome you all to this event and I hope it could serve as a platform to enhance policy communication, share of experience and best practices in order to promote sustainable and resilient development of the Asian Highway Network.

As the Chinese saying goes, "Building the road is the first step to become prosperous." Transport is the artery of the economy and a bond between civilizations. As the most basic and widely used transportation infrastructure, road transport serves as the backbone for connecting various transport modes and enhancing the overall efficiency of the transport network. Twenty years on since the adoption of the Intergovernmental Agreement on Asian Highway Network, the routes has continuously extended, the Agreement constantly improved, and the data platform getting more and more convenient thanks to the joint efforts of member countries and the ESCAP Secretariat. China highly appreciates this effort.

China attaches great importance to the development of road transport. Over the past decade, China has built the world's largest network of expressways, increasing its length from 136,000 kilometers to 177,000 kilometers, and has eliminated toll booths on all provincial borders. The national integrated transportation information platform has been established, and the BeiDou navigation satellite system has been widely used in key transport process monitoring, road infrastructure monitoring, and other areas. In the past five years, 1.25 million kilometers of rural roads have been newly built or renovated, and all the villages, townships and towns with the right conditions have been accessible by paved road. This has provided strong support for poverty alleviation and rural revitalization. China values green development. It is now holding more than half of the global total of new energy vehicles, and 1,500 expressway service areas in 31 provinces have installed charging and swapping facilities. The recycling rate of waste materials on expressway pavement has reached 95%.

China attaches great importance to both regional and international cooperation on road transport. China actively promotes regional and international transport facilitation, 22 multilateral and bilateral inter-governmental agreements on international road transport facilitation have been signed with 19 countries within the high-quality Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Trial runs of through transport in international highways connecting China-Mongolia-Russia, China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan, China-Tajikistan-Uzbekistan, China-Russia, and China -Vietnam have been conducted.  This year, China released a plan outlining major targets for a national road network for the year 2021 till 2035, which will incorporate all the domestic segments of the Asian Highway Network into the national highway network, forming multiple international highway transport corridors between China and the northeast Asia, central Asia, south Asia, and ASEAN countries. Through the China-ESCAP Cooperation Fund, China supports the ESCAP Secretariat in conducting research projects to promote green and low-carbon development of the Asian Highway Network. With the Global Sustainable Transport Innovation and Knowledge Center established last October, China is contributing to the implementation of the Global Development Initiative and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Currently, the Asia-Pacific economy has entered a critical stage of post-pandemic recovery, and countries in this region are facing difficulties such as disrupted supply chains, food and energy shortages, and increased inflation pressure. Regional cross-border and transit road transport also face significant operational challenges. We need to strengthen road transport connectivity and lay a solid foundation for post-pandemic recovery to better promote sustainable economic and social development in the Asia-Pacific region.

First, we need to promote connectivity. We need to strengthen both "hard connectivity" of road transport infrastructure and "soft connectivity" of policies, systems, and rules. We need to promote multimodal transport in the region, further align technical standards, improve the legal framework, and coordinate transport rules and procedures.

Second, we need to achieve inclusive development. We need to strengthen North-South, South-South and tripartite cooperation, and provide more funding and technical support for the construction of transport infrastructure in the least developed and landlocked developing countries in the region. We need to promote the extension of transport system to rural and remote areas and leverage the enabling role of transport for economic and social development.

Third, we need to adhere to innovation-driven approach. We need to facilitate deep integration of emerging technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence with various transport industries, explore digital and intelligent transport solutions to achieve seamless, sustainable, and resilient connectivity of road transport.

Fourth, we need to improve green resilience. Green resilience should be incorporated throughout the planning, approval, financing, construction, and operation of the highway transport system. We should promote new energy and lightweight transport equipment, and encourage green and public transportation.

Fifth, we need to strengthen international cooperation in the spirit of cooperation, mutual benefit, openness, and inclusiveness, jointly promote regional transport development and share development opportunities. We should make good use of regional cooperation mechanisms such as the Asian Highway Network and actively conduct research and pragmatic cooperation on green and resilient transportation, including road transport. In 25-26 September this year, China will host the Global Sustainable Transport Forum in Beijing. We welcome active participation from all parties to engage in sustainable transport cooperation for better implementation of Sustainable Development Goals.

Thank you!