Taiwan Strait Tunnel Project

The Taiwan Strait Tunnel Project is a proposed undersea tunnel to connect Pingtan in Mainland China to Hsinchu in Taiwan as part of the G3 Beijing–Taipei Expressway. It has seen a few academic studies from the China side, but no interest from the Taiwan side, which views such proposals as propaganda.^[1] In addition to political factors, the project is generally not considered realistic due to technical and cost concerns.^[2]

Taiwan Strait Tunnel Project

Proposals

First proposed in 1996,^[2] the project has since been subject to a number of academic discussions, including by the China Railway Engineering Society.^[3] 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).^[4] In 2005, an academic from the Chinese Academy of Engineering stated that the project was one of five major undersea tunnel projects under consideration for the next twenty to thirty years.^[5]

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.^[1] At nearly 150 metres (0.093 mi) m undersea, the proposed tunnel would be 6.4 times longer than the existing Seikan Tunnel (23.3 km or 14.5 mi), nearly 4 times longer than the Channel Tunnel (37.9 km or 23.5 mi) (the current longest underwater tunnel segment),^[2][5] and two-thirds longer than the proposed Bohai Strait tunnel project 90 kilometres (56 mi). In addition, Taiwan is much concerned about the tunnel's potential use by China in military actions.^[1] Nonetheless, in July 2013, the Chinese State Council approved plans for the project.^[6]

As the relation between Taiwan and China worsens, the proposal has been mocked in Taiwan, along with the Beijing–Taipei high-speed rail corridor.^[7]

See also

• Bohai Strait tunnel
• G3 Beijing-Taipei Expressway
• Beijing–Taipei High-Speed Rail Corridor
• G99 Taiwan Ring Expressway
• China National Highway 228 (Taiwan)
• Guangdong–Hainan railway