亚洲的经济增长需要建立更好的基础设施

AS IT IS 2015-08-25 Asia's Growth Needs to Build on Better Infrastructure¹ 亚洲的经济增长需要建立更好的基础设施

One Monday morning in Manila, cars moved in a slow line along the main avenue. Taxi driver Ranilo Banez shook his head at the long line of cars.

Crowded roads have become more common as Manila's economy grows. Mr. Banez said a 10-kilometer (or 6-mile) trip that once took 30 minutes may now take up to two hours.

"We lose so much," Mr Banez, 64, said. "We waste a lot of gasoline and time."?

In Manila and other cities in Asia, people are building many office and apartment towers. But the building of roads, railways and other important infrastructure has been slower, in part because of the 1997 financial crisis.

Urgent needs for infrastructure

Before the 1997 financial crisis, many developing Asian countries spent six to eight percent of their yearly economic output on public works. After the crisis, that amount dropped to as little as two percent.

Ramesh Subramaniam is the deputy director general of the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) Southeast Asia department. He says that developing countries have a lot of work ahead of them to build the necessary facilities.

If spending does not increase, "then this could possibly have an impact on future growth," Subramaniam said. "Certainly it is going to reduce the competitiveness of the countries in the region."

Projects in the Philippines

In May, Philippines President Benigno Aquino III approved $1.4 billion in spending for commuter² trains in Manila and other projects. That brought the total for infrastructure investment to $31.8 billion since Aquino took office in 2010.

The Philippines is not the only Asian country struggling to deal with crowded roads.

Projects in India

In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for his country to speed up building "all projects that will ensure a modern infrastructure backbone³."

India's biggest program is the $100-billion Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project. That plan will create seven industrial cities, high-speed railways, six airports and three seaports⁴. The government says India also needs 450 new power plants that use coal.

To keep that up, India needs to spend $1 trillion on infrastructure for the next five years.

Projects in Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries

In Vietnam, the government approved a proposal in June for a new airport. It will be located near Vietnam's business capital, Ho Chi Minh City, and cost $15.8 billion. The country also plans to spend $22.5 billion on new highways.

The demand for power in Vietnam also increases by 10 percent every year. State media say Vietnam needs to spend $125 billion in the next 20 years to keep up with the demand.  

Thailand has a $92 billion building plan for the next few years. The plan includes high-speed train routes that will run from China in the north through Malaysia in the south to Singapore. It calls for expanding seaports and Bangkok's commuter trains.

But, many countries still do not know how they will pay for these projects.

China, Japan and the U.S. to play a role in developing Asia infrastructure

The Asian Development Bank has estimated that developing Asian economies need to invest $8 trillion in the 10 years leading up to 2020. Japan and the United States are the principals behind the Asian Development Bank. Japan has announced a credit plan of $110 billion in aid to pay for Asia's infrastructure projects.

China has said it wants to be a regional leader in investing in infrastructure projects. More than 20 other countries joined with China to open the new Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, or AIIB. The bank is expected to start with $100 billion in capital, mostly from China.

The Asian Development Bank said building the needed facilities will help people in the region earn more money. If the needed facilities are built, people there could get an extra $4.5 trillion in income in the decade through 2020 and another $8.5 trillion after that.

But many of the planned projects do not have a business plan that promises to produce profits and repay investors⁵. And investors worry about the government interfering⁶ or possible delays over environmental and other concerns.

Still, Mr. Subramaniam of the Asian Development Bank said the region's total spending is likely to be less than half the amount required. He says Asia still needs more resources and different ways to pay for the projects.

Words in This Story

infrastructure - n.  the basic equipment and structures (such as roads and bridges) that are needed for a country, region, or organization to function properly

facility - n. something (such as a building or large piece of equipment) that is built for a specific purpose

route -n. a way to get from one place to another place

priority - n. something that is more important than other things and that needs to be done or dealt with first

1 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

2 commuter   

n.(尤指市郊之间)乘公交车辆上下班者

参考例句：

• Police cordoned off the road and diverted commuter traffic. 警察封锁了道路并分流交通。
• She accidentally stepped on his foot on a crowded commuter train. 她在拥挤的通勤列车上不小心踩到了他的脚。

3 backbone   

n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气

参考例句：

• The Chinese people have backbone.中国人民有骨气。
• The backbone is an articulate structure.脊椎骨是一种关节相连的结构。

4 seaports   

n.海港( seaport的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Airports have joined seaports as ports of entry for the visiting foreigner. 机场和海港一样成为来访的外国人的入境关口。 来自互联网
• Sanya has 16 seaports, 10 islands and 180km of coastline. 三亚有16个港口、10个海岛和180公里的海岸线。 来自互联网

5 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

6 interfering   

adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词

参考例句：

• He's an interfering old busybody! 他老爱管闲事！
• I wish my mother would stop interfering and let me make my own decisions. 我希望我母亲不再干预，让我自己拿主意。