The Xiamen-Kinmen Bridge (Xiamen section) entered a new phase of marine construction on Monday morning, marked by the completion of the east tower's piling work of the Liuwudian Channel Bridge, a pivotal component of the project, in Xiamen of Fujian Province in east China.
The Xiamen-Kinmen Bridge (Xiamen section) spans 17.34 km and is designed to link the Xiamen island with the Xiamen Xiang'an International Airport that is currently under construction. The Liuwudian Channel Bridge is the province's first offshore suspension bridge and largest span bridge with a total length of 1,948 meters and a main span of 928 meters in length.
The pile foundation of the east bridge tower was completed on Monday after four months of work, while that of the west one is expected to finish at the end of this month.
Confronted with complex geological conditions and the challenge of transporting materials to the offshore construction site, the team newly built a large-scale mixing station and employed six rotary drilling rigs which operated around the clock.
With a total investment of 37.27 billion yuan (about 5.12 billion U.S. dollars), the Xiamen-Kinmen Bridge (Xiamen section) will become the most efficient connection between the Xiamen island and the Xiang'an Airport. Once completed, it will ease traffic congestion and greatly enhance transport efficiency in the region.
The Xiamen-Kinmen Bridge (Xiamen section) started construction in October 2023, and is expected to be completed simultaneously with the Xiang'an Airport Expressway in 2026.
Kinmen is an important hub for interaction across the Taiwan Strait. Growing trade and commercial links between Kinmen and Xiamen have made the building of the bridge a common desire of many people in the region.
Xiamen-Kinmen Bridge enters marine construction stage
The National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's top political advisory body, held a press conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday afternoon, one day before its annual session.
The third session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee is scheduled to run from March 4 to 10, Liu Jieyi, the session's spokesman, announced at the press conference.
According to Liu, more than 2,000 members will attend the annual session to provide advice on major national policies and key issues spanning economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological development.
The spokesman briefed the media on the National Committee of the CPPCC's achievements over the past year, as well as its goals for improving national development and people's livelihoods.
Noting that economic issues have always been a priority for the CPPCC in fulfilling its duties, Liu said the CPPCC National Committee has actively provided suggestions and insights on a range of major economic topics over the past year, contributing to economic recovery and progress through substantial and effective efforts.
He highlighted efforts over the past year to promote traditional culture, further open up the economy, integrate education with scientific progress, maintain global peace and stability, and advance green development.
The press conference brought together many journalists from outside the Chinese mainland, with several from Africa stating that they are covering the 'two sessions' to explore what insights their countries can gain from China's political system and its foreign policy agenda regarding Africa.
"I'm here to learn what is done here in China, and how, for example, what is told here can be reproduced in our countries, and to know the similarities and the differences we have in our politics," said Fatou Ndiaye, a journalist from Senegal.
"I'm looking forward to hearing what China has planned for the developing world in terms of Sino-African relations," said Brian Ngugi, a journalist from Kenya.
Alex McCutcheon, a journalist from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said he will focus on China's achievements and plans for sci-tech advancements and applications as he covers the annual session.
"Also, anything related to science and technology, anything that's going to help to improve the transformation from research results into actual real-life improvements on people's lives," he said.
The "two sessions" refer to the annual meetings of China's top legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC), and the CPPCC National Committee, which are scheduled to open on March 5 and March 4, respectively.
China’s top political advisory body holds media briefing ahead of annual session
