The Pingtan Comprehensive Pilot Zone Integrated Transportation Plan passed an expert panel review on Dec 19, Pingtan's official website reported on Dec 31. The review meeting was held in Pingtan, an island county of Fujian province, and was hosted by the zone's planning bureau.

The pilot zone is located in the middle southern part of the Taiwan Straits. As the closest spot on the mainland to Taiwan, it enjoys a unique advantage in cross-Straits communication and cooperation. The Overall Development Plan for the Pingtan Comprehensive Pilot Zone, approved by the State Council in November 2011, has transformed Pingtan from a coastal region to a breakthrough area in comprehensive development and opening-up.

Representatives at the meeting agreed to establish a transportation system that integrates the zone with the western Straits and the greater national transportation network. They also stressed the importance of reasonable highway, railway, waterway and airway allocations to provide solid support for the zone's development.

The plan was drafted by Pingtan's planning bureau based on analyses of the zone's location, policy advantages, and its future and neighboring transportation plans. It proposed an overall pattern for Pingtan's external transportation system. The panel approved the plan.

The panel consisted of experts in transportation, railway and port management. Representatives from the Fujian Transportation Bureau and relative zone departments also attended the meeting, including Zhang Libin, an official from the local planning institute.

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Michael Thai