Zhanjiang Mayor Wang Zhongbing said that it is a strategic requirement for the city to develop into a pivot city for the maritime cooperation of the Belt and Road Initiative as proposed by the central government.

To meet the requirement, Zhanjiang must accelerate the construction of transportation networks and a new urban area and foster the economy, Wang said during his inspection of the construction sites of the city's major transportation infrastructure projects, including the Guangzhou Bay Avenue, Potou Coastal Avenue and Haidong Expressway, on June 1.

The Sino-Australia Friendship Garden section of the Guangzhou Bay Avenue is near completion and will be open to traffic at the end of July 2015.

The construction of Haidong Expressway, the "traffic artery" of Haidong new district, is in its final stage following 20 months of intensive work. The main line of the expressway will be put into service before June 30.

The construction of transportation infrastructure systems in Zhanjiang has gained much momentum this year. The annual investment in transportation infrastructure projects is expected to reach 9.2 billion yuan ($1.48 billion), a 73.5 percent year-on-year increase.

Wang Zhongbing (center), mayor of Zhanjiang, inspects the construction site of Haidong Expressway in Zhanjiang's Haidong new district on June 1. [Photo/Zhanjiang Daily]

Edited by Mevlut Katik