The Asian Development Bank approved a US$500 million loan to China for its east-west trunk railway. It is the largest loan ever offered to the mainland by the ADB.
The part of the railway for which the loan was approved is a 377-kilometer section running from Hubei province to Chongqing municipality. The railway is a key element in Beijing's strategy to develop China's western regions, which lag behind China's economically vibrant eastern provinces.