In June 2024, the mainland, as a leader in infrastructure construction, has made great progress, whether it is rail or road. We have not only built a large number of high-quality roads in China, but also actively participated in many overseas infrastructure projects, demonstrating China's strong construction capabilities. Everyone believes that with the vast land area and strong construction capacity of the mainland, our highway mileage should rank among the top in the world. India, however, claims to be the world's second-largest road mileage, after the United States. This claim has left many wondering: How did India surpass China in road construction?
There is an old saying, "What you get on paper is shallow, but you never know that you have to do it." To unravel this mystery, we need to gain insight into how India has reached such an astonishing road mileage. First of all, India was once a British colony, and the British left India with a fairly well-developed network of roads and railways before leaving India. Secondly, India's geography is relatively flat, and most of the area is suitable for road construction, except for the Himalayan region. In addition, India's road statistics are of a low standard, and many roads that are not considered substandard in China are also counted.
So, is India's road mileage really strong, or is it the result of "water injection"? We need further exploration and analysis to find out. India had a long period of British colonial rule, and the British established a relatively well-developed road and rail network in India. This infrastructure provided an important basis for India's later road mileage data. Even after India's independence, these British-built roads were still in use, contributing a large part of India's total road mileage.
India's geographical environment also facilitates its road construction. With the exception of the Himalayas in the north, most of India is flat and ideal for road construction. The flat terrain means that the difficulty and cost of building roads is relatively low, so India is able to build a large number of roads in a relatively short period of time. However, there is an element of "water injection" in India's road mileage data. India has a low standard for defining roads, and many roads that are not considered substandard in China are also counted. For example, some gravel roads in the countryside, or even trails that only allow for horse-drawn carriages, are counted as road miles. This lax standard makes India's road mileage data particularly large.
In contrast, China's standards for highway statistics are much stricter. The construction of mainland roads is of high quality, and even rural roads must meet certain standards in order to be counted. The construction standards of the expressway are even stricter, and the road surface must be smooth and safe, without any depression. As a result, China's road mileage data is more authentic and reliable. Although the number of roads in India is huge, there are many problems in terms of quality. Many of the so-called "highways" do not meet international standards, and the road surface is uneven, which is a major safety hazard. If measured strictly by international standards, India's highway mileage is actually far below its official claim of 145,000 kilometers and may be less than 3,000 kilometers.
China pays attention not only to quantity, but also to quality and sustainable development in road construction. When we build roads, we try to avoid damaging the surrounding environment and ensure ecological balance. India is clearly not doing enough in this regard, and the lack of effective planning and management of road construction has led to the destruction of the ecological environment in many places. India's road construction plans tend to be ambitious, but their execution is poor. For example, they had planned to build 80,000 kilometers of highways over five years, with an investment of more than $100 billion. In reality, however, this plan did not materialize as planned, and only 1,300 kilometers of highways were eventually expanded, far below the expected target. This reflects India's inadequacy in resource allocation and management.
While India's road mileage may seem huge, the actual level of infrastructure development does not exactly match its data. China's achievements in road construction are not only in terms of quantity, but also in terms of quality and sustainable development. Through strict standards and efficient implementation, we have built a high-quality road network covering the whole country, providing a convenient travel experience for the people.