Better Connectivity

By Ji Jing

The image of a red truck exiting a tunnel on its way to Dulongjiang Township in Yunnan Province has been printed on a stamp issued on October 15 during the Second United Nations Global Sustainable Transport Conference （UNGST Conference）. The stamp shows how the development of transport can help alleviate poverty.

Prior to 2014， Dulongjiang did not have a paved road and the only footpath that led to the outside world was closed for six months every year due to heavy snowfall. In 2014， a new road opened to traffic and changed the life of locals. As transportation became more convenient， villagers developed rural tourism to improve their livelihoods. As of the end of last year， the townships per-capita income had reached 12，000 yuan（$1，880） and 80 percent of local households had cars.

The improved transportation infrastructure in Dulongjiang is a microcosm of the development of transportation in China at large. According to the Report on Sustainable Transport in China， which was compiled by China Academy of Transportation Sciences and released at the Second UNGST Conference， beginning in 2014， efforts have been strengthened in the construction， management， maintenance and operation of roads in rural areas. Where feasible， governments had provided paved roads to towns and villages by 2019， and bus services by 2020.

The conference， originally scheduled for May 2020 and then postponed due to COVID-19， eventually took place in Beijing both online and in person from this October 14 to 16. It focused attention on the opportunities， challenges and solutions for achieving sustainable transportation worldwide and indicated a way forward for sustainable transportation to help achieve the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

For the common good

While addressing the opening ceremony of the conference via video link on October 14， President Xi Jinping called on countries to advance global transportation cooperation for humanitys common development and to write a new chapter featuring the connectivity of infrastructure， unfettered flow of trade and investment， and improved interactions between civilizations.

He also announced that China will set up a Global Innovation and Knowledge Center for Sustainable Transport， as a contribution to global transportation development.

Noting that transportation has facilitated economic integration and people-topeople exchanges， and is turning the world into a close-knit global village， Xi said it is important to pursue an open world economy， reject discriminatory or exclusive rules and systems， and make economic globalization more open， inclusive， balanced and beneficial for all.