1. How China builds these, and why India never does
World’s Longest Cross-Sea Bridge – Qingdao Jiaozhou Bay Bridge in
Shandong Province – 36.48 Kms Long
The world's longest sea bridge spanning Jiaozhou Bay of Qingdao City, Shandong
Province, opened on Thursday, June 30, 2011. The bridge is 36 km (22 miles) long,
The Jiaozhou Bay Bridge in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province opened on
Thursday, June 30, 2011, the world's longest cross-sea bridge, which is 42 kilometers (26
miles, 36.48 kilometres) long and links China's eastern port city of Qingdao to an
offshore island, Huangdao.

2. Built at a Cost of $2.3 billion, Commissioned in June 2011 The Bridge spans the mouth
of Jiaozhou Bay in eastern Shandong province. It is expected to cut travel distances by 30
km. There is an undersea tunnel, constructed at an additional cost of $1 billion, which
runs parallel to the bridge.
World’s largest power station – Three Gorges Dam Project – 18.2
Gigawatts Capacity
The power station has a capacity of 18.2 gigawatts and would generate 100 terawatt hour
of power a year

3. Cost: $26 billion expected to become fully operational this year. The Three Gorges Dam
on the Yangtze River took over 12 years to build and was completed in 2006. The project
has been controversial because of its environmental and human impact, as also the fact
that it sits on a seismic fault. About 1.24 million people were displaced during
construction of the dam.
World’s longest high-speed rail link - Beijing-Shanghai High Speed
Railway @ 300 Kmph speed and 1318 Kms Long
A CRH380B, left, and a CRH380A are seen at the Hongqiao High-Speed Railway Center
in Shanghai, China. The center will serve as a major maintenance hub for China's CRH
high-speed trains ready to operate on the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway in late
June 2011.
Cost: $32 billion Commissioned in June 2011 The rail link between China's two most
important cities will cut travel time by more than half to 4 hours, 48 minutes. There are
244 bridges along the line, and the train will traverse the world's longest bridge (164 km),
and second-longest Viaduct Bridge in the world (114 km)

4. World’s longest gas pipeline – China-Central Asia Gas Pipeline - 8700
Kms Long
GE has been awarded a $300 million contract to work on a new east-west natural gas
pipeline in China, 8,700 kilometers long. It is the world's longest pipeline carrying gas
from central Asia to Chinese cities. At a Cost: $22 billion Commissioned in June 2011.
The pipeline transports natural gas from Turkmenistan's Amu Darya River to the Pearl
River Delta and through 15 Chinese provinces. It has the capacity to transmit 30 billion
cubic meters of natural gas annually
The Chinese Maritime Safety Administration's Haixun 31 maritime patrol vessel is seen
docked in Singapore The Chinese Maritime Safety Administration's Haixun 31 maritime
patrol vessel is seen docked in Singapore June 20, 2011. Singapore said on Monday that

5. China should clarify its claims to disputed islands in the South China Sea and urged all
parties to act with restraint amid the biggest flare-up in regional tension in years over
competing maritime sovereignty claims. Picture taken through a plastic window. The
Resorts World Sentosa development is pictured in the background.
People take their oaths in front of a Communist Party of China (CPC) flag during a
ceremony to join the party at a park as part of celebrations marking the 90th anniversary
of the party's founding in Shanghai July 1, 2011.
This picture taken on June 28, 2011 shows the Pearl Tower in the Pudong financial
district in Shanghai. Excessive borrowing by authorities to fund infrastructure and other
projects has sparked concerns among China's leadership about the risks the loans pose
to the financial stability of the world's second largest economy.

6. Chinese people walks on a pavement along a wall decorated with pictures of tourist spots
in Beijing, China, Thursday, June 30, 2011. China's legislature has taken a step to ease
the tax burden on the country's poor amid tensions over surging inflation and a wealth
gap. The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress approved a measure
Thursday to raise the minimum income level at which workers must pay taxes from 2,000
yuan (US$300) to 3,500 yuan (US$540) a month.
A container truck drives past in the container area at the Yangshan Deep Water Port,
south of Shanghai.

7. Just last month, China commissioned into operation the world's longest natural gas
pipeline, the world's longest cross-sea bridge, and the world's longest high-speed rail
link. In the next few months, the world's largest power plant will also become fully
operational in China. What enables China to build such mega projects at dazzling speed
and why India can never match up?
Reasons: China focuses on regional development
The country began building large infrastructure projects in the coastal region and
expanding it into the hinterland with time. In contrast, India spread the butter thin on the
toast by trying to develop infrastructure all over.
Use of state power
The state exercises complete control and is in command over all land acquisitions,
rehabilitation, migration and resettlement. Big infrastructure projects that involve all of
this are taken care of smoothly as the state takes these as its responsibility. Developers of
infrastructure projects do not have to face these hurdles that are common in India.
Building infrastructure ahead of demand
China has always believed in building infrastructure ahead of the demand build-up while
India is always trying to catch up with demand. A Delhi-Jaipur road first is built on four
lanes. But by the time the road is completed, the traffic would have already expanded for
six lanes. China, on the other hand, builds highways or trains with spare capacity so that
it can cater to the increased demand. It is an infrastructure-led growth story in China.
China does not worry about rate of returns
Most infrastructure projects take long to break even. China has used its high savings rate
to mobilise capital for infrastructure investments. The rate of returns in the short term is
not a factor that plays a key role. In contrast, projects in India are even built on cost-plus
basis with an assured rate of returns.
Strong local self-governments
Although the central command plays a crucial role, city governments are equally
empowered. Infrastructure growth is driven by urbanisation and so the city governments
play a role in facilitating infrastructure in the cities. There is hardly any role for city
governments in India. Urbanisation requires huge investments in infrastructure.
Adoption of latest technology and creating hub for foreign markets
China has built huge infrastructure capacities to cater to external markets. For instance,
China has built capacities to export 400,000 MW of super critical boiler and turbine
package. This also helps in building better infrastructure in the country.