An international undersea tunnel seminar kicked off in Pingtan, Fujian province, on Sept 21, where a group of international experts discussed leading tunneling technologies.

The highlight of the seminar was the construction of an undersea tunnel between Taiwan and Fujian.

A sketch of the undersea tunnel [Photo/ptnet.cn]

Since 1998, tunnel experts from the mainland and Taiwan have proposed three plans for a cross-Straits undersea tunnel. The proposals included a northern route from Pingtan to Hsinchu, a central route from Fujian's Putian to Central Taiwan and a southern route from Fujian's Xiamen to Chiayi.

The 128-km northern route between Pingtan and Hsinchu is the most feasible construction, suggested Wang Mengshu, a tunnel and railway expert at the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

According to him, the northern plan boasts the shortest route and stable geology, which will make Pingtan a leading role in the cross-Straits cooperation and exchange.

A map shows three construction options of the cross-Straits undersea tunnel. [Photo/ptnet.cn]