Aerial photo taken on Dec. 10, 2020 shows the last span of the Padma Bridge being installed at the construction site above Padma river in Munshiganj on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The last span of the Padma Bridge, the biggest of its kind in Bangladesh, was installed on Dec. 10, marking the completion of the bridge's 6.15-km main structure above the water. Engineers and workers of China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group Co, Ltd (MBEC) successfully put the 3,376-ton span in place, on pillars 12 and 13, in presence of Bangladeshi and Chinese officials. The bridge is expected to help enhance regional trade and collaboration along the Asian highway No. 1 and the Trans-Asian railway network. The year 2020 has been a tough one for world economies amid a global COVID-19 pandemic. Against this backdrop, China has seen resilient cooperation with the Belt and Road (B&R) countries. As the coronavirus pandemic severely hits international transport, the China-Europe freight trains play a pivotal role in land transport among countries, as shown by the rising number of trains, opening of new routes, and the volume of goods. Major B&R projects, including the China-Laos railway, China-Thailand railway, Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, and Hungary-Serbia railway are making positive headway. China's aid to Belt and Road partner countries and the experience it shared with them during the COVID-19 pandemic are valuable and render the Health Silk Road more concrete. (Xinhua)
