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News / 18 augustus 2011

New highway between China and Vietnam affects local communities

Currently a new highway is being constructed which will connect Hanoi (Vietnam) to Kunming (China). The project, partially financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), aims to stimulate economic development in the region throughout the construction of this "economic corridor".

 

It is believed that highways facilitate an ongoing process of centralization of production and distribution centres. However, this new road might also have negative consequences for local communities in the region. Rural roads promote greater levels of social equity than highways do by reinvigorating local economies. Pieter Jansen, IC member of NGO Forum on ADB and working for Both ENDS on IFI-related issues, published an article regarding the complications of this new highway in Bankwatch.

 

Link to the full article

Link to Bankwatch Volume IX, No. 1, 2011

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