WB Approves US$200 Million Loan to China

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 ◆ WB Approves US$200 Million Loan to China

The World Bank approved Tuesday a loan of US$200 million for a highway project in Jiangxi Province, east of China. The Second Jiangxi Highway Project will improve the most important transport corridor in Jiangxi, between the provincial capital of Nanchang, and the coastal cities of Shenzhen and Guangzhou in Guangdong Province, the World Bank said. It will reduce vehicle operating costs and travel time of road users, and help stimulate social and economic development, reduce poverty, and thus decrease disparities within the region, the bank said. "The Second Jiangxi Highway Project will benefit residents of poor counties in the province through improved access to health, education, and other social services, as well as to employment opportunities and markets," said Yasuhiro Kawabata, task manager for the project. Other benefits of the project will include the improvement in road safety, and the strengthening of the institutional capacity of the Jiangxi Provincial Communications Department and related sector institutions through policy, institutional and organizational reform, and provision of training, technical assistance, and equipment, the bank said. The estimated total project cost of 535.7 million dollars will be financed by the World Bank's loan of 200 million dollars, with the Chinese government financing the remaining costs.