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Asia's highway gets
going
By Marwaan Macan-Markar
BANGKOK - Asian governments will soon have
a new symbol to illustrate their increasing spirit
of regional cooperation: a network of highways
that links 32 countries spanning Japan at one end
and Turkey at the other. An important milestone on
the "Silk Route of the Modern Age" was crossed
July 4 when the Intergovernmental Agreement on the
Asian Highway Network came into force.
First opened for signature in April 2004,
the agreement has already been signed by 27
countries while some key members, including Japan,
China, South Korea, Vietnam, Myanmar, Sri Lanka
and Cambodia, have also ratified it. Developed by
the Bangkok-based Economic and Social Commission
for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), a United Nations
agency, the 141,000 km road is expected to greatly
enhance intra-regional trade and facilitate
tourism.
"It was made possible because
many countries are collaborating more closely,"
said Barry Cable, director of ESCAP's transport
and tourism division, at a ceremony marking the
coming into force of the agreement. "This is not
just a transport agreement, but a desire by member
countries to work toward globalization for all."
When fully operational, this
trans-continental stretch of roads will link Asian
capitals, connect industrial and agriculture
centers, join major seaports to river ports and
connect major container terminals to depots,
according to the ESCAP's "Asian Highway Handbook".
An estimated US$26 billion has already been
invested to upgrade to international standards the
roads that will be part of the network. "However,
there is still a shortfall of $18 billion," the
study says.
Furthermore, 16% of the roads
that are integral to the highway still "fall below
minimum standards", according to Cable. "The roads
have to be broadened to the new standards. The
objective is to use existing roadways." Cable
described as a "missed opportunity" the fact that
many neighboring countries have not been able to
make use of the new link so far simply because "it
is not extensive as it should be".
The
roadblocks to easy movement of people and goods
across national boundaries are many and range from
open warfare to frustrating red tape. "There was
no uniformity at border crossings and the rules
varied from country to country," said Ravi
Ratnayake, a trade and investment expert at ESCAP.
"Hurdles like containers being subject to
different checks, as opposed to a harmonious
procedure, was a major impediment but now with
logistics being made more uniform and rules
harmonized, there will be a big difference to the
way overland trade is conducted."
Before
the early 1990s, the distrust between countries
stemming from Cold War politics and the wars that
ravaged much of Southeast Asia came in the way of
the cooperation necessary for such a sweeping
project. Today, a vehicle beginning a journey on
route AH1 of this trans-continental highway could
start in Tokyo, get connected by ferry to South
Korea and then drive through North Korea, China,
Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, Bangladesh,
India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and end in
Istanbul.
First floated in 1959, the dream
of building an Asian highway network was also
bogged down by countries reluctant to open their
borders to the free market, preferring to protect
their local economies. But the new political and
economic currents that have emerged since 1992 has
given the long-planned Asian highways network a
new lease on life. "These changes resulted in
increased international trade and sounded a
wake-up call for transport infrastructure projects
across the UNESCAP region," says a background note
by the UN agency.
Consequently, Asian
governments endorsed a blueprint for smoother
relations among countries that were once
politically inimical to each other, at the 48th
annual sessions of ESCAP in Bangkok in 1992. While
ESCAP officials have their foot on the
accelerator, they are conscious of existing social
problems in the region as well as new ones the new
routes could well pave the way for.
Already, the region is grappling with
rampant human trafficking, the spread of HIV/AIDS
and the proliferation of narcotics especially in
the infamous "Golden Crescent" and "Golden
Triangle" regions. "HIV/AIDS on the Asian highway
involving long-distance truck drivers is a
concern," said Cable. "We are working with UN
agencies to deal with it."
Asian tourism
experts are also sounding a word of caution while
welcoming potential benefits to the tourism
industry. "Places that are attractive for their
unique culture in the region but were not
accessible may now start attracting tourists,"
said Peter Simone, vice president of the
Bangkok-based Pacific Asia Travel Association.
"But that may result in a 'chase for the dollar'
in these communities, affecting their indigenous
lifestyles. People will stop living the way they
were to become touts and live off the dollars the
tourists bring."
(Inter Press
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