China builds ‘golden outer ring’ to open new economic corridors

Summary

China's Ministry of Transport has announced plans to fully connect three national highway trunk routes – G219 along the border, G331 along the border, and G228 along the coast – during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. The combined network, spanning more than 26,000 kilometres, will form a 'golden outer ring' around the country's border and coastal areas. The G331 Border Tourism Alliance was established in 2024, attracting over 2 million tourist visits along the route in the first half of the year.

Dandong Port recorded a 72 percent year-on-year increase in cargo transshipment for Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces. Ma Jiangbo, an expert, said the improved road network will promote sea-land coordination, lower cross-border logistics costs, and turn border and coastal areas from transport dead ends into opening-up frontiers.

Commentary

China's 26,000-km national highway trunk network, linking G219, G331 and G228, effectively folds scattered border crossings and ports into a unified logistics corridor. Dandong Port's 72 percent jump in transshipment for Heilongjiang and Jilin, and more than 2 million tourist visits along G331 in the first half, show border areas shifting from endpoints to nodes. For New Zealand small and medium enterprises, the sea-land link lowers cold-chain distribution costs into China's interior, making dairy and meat more viable in second- and third-tier markets.

Warmer border tourism also creates niche demand for outdoor gear and camp food. But faster local substitution in border provinces warrants caution – e-commerce pilots on a small scale are preferable to heavy-asset warehousing.

Keywords: golden outer ring, National Highway G219, National Highway G331, National Highway G228, trunk transport corridor, border tourism, Dandong Port, sea-land coordination, cross-border logistics, prospering border areas and enriching residents

Source: China.org.cn