Liaoning, China. Photo: Shutterstock China is moving ahead with plans for a huge transport network that will eventually connect parts of the country's borders and coastline in a route stretching roughly 27,000 kilometers.
The project, referred to as the "Golden Outer Ring," brings together three major national highways: G219, G331 and G228. China's Ministry of Transport has said the three routes will be fully connected during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, which runs from 2026 to 2030.
The scale of the planned network is striking. At around 27,000 kilometers, the route would cover a distance equivalent to roughly two-thirds of the Earth's circumference.
The network is designed to connect remote border areas with coastal regions, creating a continuous transport corridor around much of China's outer edge. The three highways cover very different parts of the country.
Xinjiang. Photo: ShutetrstockG219 runs through China's western regions, including Xinjiang, Tibet, Yunnan and Guangxi. G331 crosses the northern part of the country from Dandong in Liaoning to Altay in Xinjiang, while G228 follows the coastline between Dandong and Dongxing.
Dandong. Photo: seanmoult / Shutterstock.comThe Chinese authorities have presented the project as having several purposes, including improving transport connections, supporting tourism and resource development, and strengthening links between border and coastal areas.
The project does not mean that 27,000 kilometers of entirely new road will be built. Much of the network is based on existing national highways, with construction and upgrades planned to connect incomplete sections and improve parts of the routes.
According to reports on the government's transport plans, around 7,400 kilometers of roads are expected to be constructed or upgraded during the current five-year period.
For travelers, the project could eventually open up easier road access to some of China's more remote areas, from western mountain regions and northern border landscapes to the country's eastern and southern coastline.
The Golden Outer Ring is therefore less a single new highway than a large-scale effort to connect existing and planned routes into one continuous network around China's borders and coast.