Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming says Padma Multipurpose Bridge is a milestone in the field of China-Bangladesh cooperation.
"I feel particularly proud of and connected to the bridge, not only because it is built by a Chinese company, but also because it is a milestone in China-Bangladesh cooperation," he said, according to a press statement released by Chinese embassy on Monday.
Terming Padma Bridge a symbol of courage, he lauds Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's determination to build the "dream bridge" despite enormous difficulties.
The envoy says the decision required "tremendous courage and a strong sense of political responsibility" on part of any head of the government.
It is an outstanding achievement. Nobody now doubts that Bangladesh can do it, he adds as he was talking to a select group of newsmen at his embassy on Sunday.
According to the envoy, some development partners did not believe that the Bangladesh government could ever materialise such a mega structure with own funds.
Building this bridge was also a courageous decision made by the Chinese side, he cites.
"So, I think accepting the challenge was also a courageous step taken by the Chinese side."
This is so far the largest bridge any Chinese company has ever built outside China, adds Mr JIming.
"There were strong competitions from France, South Korea and Singapore; the natural environment for construction was tough and unfamiliar; the preliminary design wasn't fully completed…," he goes on.
Project engineers had to overcome the "unforeseeable physical conditions", figure out actual parameters in the river and then completed and modified the design, which took almost two years.
"The project involves 13 technologies which have never been used in the world. So, the whole project was full of experiments that nobody has ever done before."
The unique hydrographic features of the river posed the most daunting challenge, according to Mr JIming.
He says the bridge will connect the country's north-east and south-west, promoting the exchange of goods, labour, capital and services within it.
"Statistics show that the bridge, once open to traffic, can push the GDP growth rate of Bangladesh up for 1.5 per cent," the envoy maintains.
It is estimated that more than 80-million people, which account for half of the country's population, will benefit from the bridge.
Before the bridge was built, Mr JIming says, it usually took hours to cross the mighty river. But it now takes only ten minutes.
A missing link of the Trans Asian Railway and Asian Highway Network, it will become an integral part of the BCIM, notes Mr JIming.
"With the bridge in use, a more integrated Bangladesh will surely contribute to a more integrated and prosperous South Asia and beyond."
A bridge like that will not merely connect two pieces of land, he says, adding: "It'll also connect our two peoples by heart, leading the way to common prosperity and shared future."
The country's longest-ever 6.15-kilometre Padma Bridge was built with domestic financing, discarding foreign loans or grants of any type.
Finance ministry provided Bangladesh Bridges Authority with an amount of Tk 300 billion in credit.
