The entrance of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel, which is located at the estuary of the Kanapuri River in Bangladesh. Photo: Xinhua

The south tube of an underwater tunnel in Bangladesh built by a Chinese company has been completed, which is expected to drive local economic development, regional connectivity and promote the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The south tube of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel, the first underwater tunnel in South Asia, which connects the east and west banks of the Kanapuri River in Chittagong city, was completed on Saturday.

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina joined a celebration on Saturday virtually from her official residence known as Ganabhaban in Dhaka, saying that she appreciated all the efforts involved in the project, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming said that the tunnel will help optimize local transportation and facilitate connectivity between Bangladesh and neighboring countries, demonstrating Bangladesh's pivotal role in regional connectivity as a hub among BRI countries, Xinhua reported.

The project is also the first large-diameter underwater shield tunnel undertaken by a Chinese company overseas.

Constructed by China Communication Construction Co, the tunnel is 9.3 kilometers long and is designed to handle traffic at speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour. The shield tunnel has a double track and four lanes of 11.8 meters in diameter.

The project has been supported by the Export-Import Bank of China with preferential credit terms. It directly created more than 5,000 jobs during construction, trained local people with infrastructure consecution skills and promoted local economic development, according to Xinhua.

It will greatly improve transportation conditions in Chittagong, drive the economic development of Bangladesh, improve the road network in Asia, and promote connectivity between Bangladesh and neighboring countries, which is of great significance for the implementation of the BRI and the construction of the Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar Economic Corridor, Xinhua said.

China-Bangladesh trade has also been increasingly, with two-way trade exceeding $25 billion in 2021, growing at a rate of 58 percent, and Bangladesh exporting more than $1 billion worth of goods to China for the first time, according to official data.

Global Times