Deputies to the National People's Congress from Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and Guizhou province made a suggestion on March 9 that a highway linking Hechi's Huanjiang county and Guizhou's Rongjiang should be built.

"The current road between Hechi and Rongjiang is too narrow to pass more than one car. The transportation infrastructure has become a hindrance to logistics and industrial development for both areas," said Huang Bingfeng, head of Huanjiang Maonan autonomous county.

"The distance from Huanjiang to Rongjiang county is around 200 kilometers at present, taking 4 hours to drive," said Yuan Changxuan, deputy director of the forestry industry development center of Tianzhu county.

Tianzhu county and Rongjiang county are both counties in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture in Guizhou province.

Yuan noted that after the construction of a highway, the direct distance between the two places can be shortened to 120 km, which just takes about an hour to drive.

"Both Hechi and Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture, being mountainous areas, are old revolutionary base areas with many ethnic minorities. The economic development levels in the two areas are relatively behind due to the lack of convenient transportation," added Huang.

Huang added that the construction of a highway will comprehensively improve the transportation infrastructure conditions along its route, as well as promote tourism development, which is of great significance to strengthening ethnic unity and promoting rural revitalization.