The head of the Changbai Korean autonomous prefecture, sitting in a mountainous part of Jilin province, without rail connections to the outside, is a deputy to the National People’s Congress (NPC) and wants to make his needs known at the current two sessions in Beijing.

In explaining his goal, Zheng Xiangri says in an interview, "Paving a road can make you richer and I’m concerned about the rail project in our county, and this is my major task here in Bejing," then adds, "We are an extreme case in Jilin, with neither a rail nor a motorway, which is a major economic blockade since the cost of delivering goods and resources is high."

File photo of Zheng Xiangri, deputy to the 12th National People’s Congress. [Photo/people.com.cn]

The Korean county, located just to the north of Changbai Mountain, has two roads that are easily blocked by rock slides or heavy snow in the winter, so Zheng explains, "A railway line would be a life-saver for us and cut delivery costs and connect us with the outside world."

There has, in fact, been a feasible study of a railway designed to connect the prefecture with a neighboring city that is a part of a national transportation system plan of the State Council, but, "There’s a question: Who’s the backer? If the National Development and Reform Commission gets involved, then they’re the boss, and if it’s the China Railway Corp, they have the final say, with the cost reaching 6 billion yuan. So, we’re pinning our hopes on these two sessions to get the work started in any case."

Then, he concludes, "That would be a big stimulus to our economy and border security."