Swiss tunnel shows rest of Europe the way

Such hurdles have nipped in the bud many infrastructure projects in the European Union, though many of its members desperately need such investments to rekindle their economies and create jobs.

In this sense, the completion of this Swiss project has offered well-timed food for thought for other European countries.

To link Asia with the European Union, which is the aim of China's Silk Road Economic Belt, apart from speeding up approval procedure, it is necessary for the European Union to rethink what infrastructure projects are needed and how to link them with regional economic recovery and integration.

EU member countries are eager to launch big projects to boost the region's economy, and China and the EU have been in negotiations to set up a joint fund in order to invest in infrastructure projects.

China has capital and also expertise. Over the decades, China has accumulated tremendous engineering expertise, including the construction of the Three-Gorges Hydropower Plant, long pipelines to transport oil and natural gas from the western parts of China to the east and south, as well as hundreds of thousands of kilometers of railways and highways.

This is a winning combination for many European countries. The United Kingdom is already discussing its planned new high-speed railway and a nuclear power station with China. And the Czech Republic, another landlocked country in Europe, has indicated its intention to cooperate with China on transport infrastructure, which could help this central European country connect with the rest of Europe.

Coincidentally, Switzerland recently became an observer to the 16+1 framework between the Central and East Europe and China, under which both sides have already started infrastructural cooperation.

By making good use of the experience gathered in the tunnel project, Switzerland could join with China to provide timely and valuable input to help realize fast development in the sixteen countries in East and Central Europe.

Moreover, such cooperation would be useful in improving the infrastructure in Western Europe.

Both China and the EU should look at the bigger picture when considering future infrastructure and engineering projects. In that context, the admiration of the Swiss project's success by Europe's main leaders is hopefully meaningful.

The author is deputy editor of China Daily European Edition. fujing@chinadaily.com.cn