
The Taiwan Strait Tunnel Project is a proposed
undersea tunnel
An underwater tunnel is a tunnel which is partly or wholly constructed under the sea or a river. They are often used where building a bridge or operating a ferry link is unviable, or to provide competition or relief for existing bridges or ferry l ...
to connect
Pingtan in
Mainland China
"Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...
to
Hsinchu
Hsinchu (, ), officially Hsinchu City, is a city located in northwestern Taiwan. It is the most populous city in Taiwan that is not a special municipality, with estimated 450,655 inhabitants. Hsinchu is a coastal city bordering the Taiwan ...
in
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
as part of the
G3 Beijing–Taipei Expressway
The Beijing–Taipei Expressway (), designated as G3 and commonly known as the Jingtai Expressway (), is a partially completed expressways of China, Chinese expressway that, if fully constructed, would connect the China, People's Republic of Chi ...
. It has seen a few academic studies from the
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
side, but no interest from the
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
side, which views such proposals as propaganda.
In addition to political factors, the project is generally not considered realistic due to technical and cost concerns.
Proposals
First proposed in 1996,
the project has since been subject to a number of academic discussions, including by the China Railway Engineering Society. The route between Pingtan and Hsinchu has been proposed because of its short distance and its relative geological stability (in
a region frequented by earthquakes). In 2005, an academic from the
Chinese Academy of Engineering
The Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE, ) is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for engineering. It was established in 1994 and is an institution of the State Council of China. The CAE and the Chinese Academy of Sciences a ...
stated that the project was one of five major undersea tunnel projects under consideration for the next twenty to thirty years.
Reception in Taiwan
The project is not considered viable due to the staggering costs, unsolved technical problems, and foremost a lack of interest from the Taiwanese.
At nearly undersea, the proposed tunnel would be 6.4 times longer than the existing
Seikan Tunnel (), nearly 4 times longer than the
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel (), sometimes referred to by the Portmanteau, portmanteau Chunnel, is a undersea railway tunnel, opened in 1994, that connects Folkestone (Kent, England) with Coquelles (Pas-de-Calais, France) beneath the English Channel at ...
() (the current longest underwater tunnel segment),
and two-thirds longer than the proposed
Bohai Strait tunnel project
The Bohai Strait Tunnel or Dalian-Yantai Tunnel is a proposed undersea tunnel construction project across the Bohai Strait to connect Dalian on the Liaodong Peninsula with Yantai on the Shandong Peninsula. The official name for the project is Bo ...
. In addition, Taiwan is much concerned about the tunnel's potential use by China in military actions.
Nonetheless, in July 2013, the
Chinese State Council
The State Council of the People's Republic of China, also known as the Central People's Government, is the chief administrative authority and national cabinet. It is constitutionally the highest administrative organ of the country and the ex ...
approved plans for the project.
As the relation between Taiwan and China worsens, the proposal has been mocked in Taiwan, along with the
Beijing–Taipei high-speed rail corridor.
See also
*
Bohai Strait tunnel
The Bohai Strait Tunnel or Dalian-Yantai Tunnel is a proposed undersea tunnel construction project across the Bohai Strait to connect Dalian on the Liaodong Peninsula with Yantai on the Shandong Peninsula. The official name for the project is Bo ...
*
G3 Beijing-Taipei Expressway
*
Beijing–Taipei High-Speed Rail Corridor
*
G99 Taiwan Ring Expressway
The Taiwan Ring Expressway () was a proposed, hypothetical expressway encircling the island of Taiwan as part of the National Trunk Highway System of the People's Republic of China. It never came into fruition, though, due to the political sta ...
*
China National Highway 228 (Taiwan)
*
Guangdong–Hainan railway
References
External links
An Engineering Concept of the Taiwan Strait TunnelSocioeconomic Impact of the Taiwan Strait Tunnel
Cross-strait relations
Proposed transport infrastructure in China
Proposed transportation infrastructure in Taiwan
Proposed undersea tunnels in Asia
{{Taiwan-transport-stub