Experts of some Asian countries called for concerted efforts to build the southwest corridor of the third Eurasian continental land-bridge at a seminar opened Monday in Beijing.

Experts believed the southwest corridor was the most important part of the Eurasian land-bridge. The 1,800-km-long corridor will start from Kunming, capital of southwestern China's Yunnan Province, go southwards to Dali, Ruili and end at Myanmar's port city Kyaukpyu.

If constructed, the corridor would greatly improve communications and cooperation in the intra-Asian region as well as between Asia and the rest of the world, Wang Weiguang, executive vice president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said at the seminar.

More than 50 officials and scholars from countries including China, Myanmar, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, attended the seminar. Its theme is to "Build the southwest corridor of the third Asia-Europe continental land-bridge".

The planned overland bridge would become one of the most convenient land routes linking Asia, Europe with Africa, said Qin Guangrong, governor of Yunnan Province.

The bridge will contribute to the social and economic development of countries along it, said Mohammad Rahmatullah, transport policy advisor of Bangladesh Planning Commission.

Rahmatullah also noted the challenges in establishing the bridge, such as missing links in the trans-Asian railway, difference in railway gauges of related countries and long cross-border customs delays.

According to plans floated by some scholars, the proposed land-bridge will extend from Shenzhen in southern China's Guangdong Province to Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

The 15,000-km line will run through 21 countries, including Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Turkey. It will cut short about 3,000 km of the journey between the two ports by sea.

(Xinhua News Agency November 25, 2008)