Xinjiang’s Hotan-Ruoqiang Railway (referred to as the Heruo Railway),     1     “last kilometer” of the world’s first desert railway loop (环形) line,     2    (put) into operation on June 16, 2022, with a design speed of 120 kilometers per hour.

With a total     3    (long) of 825 kilometers, the Heruo Railway stretches     4    Hotan city in the west to Ruoqiang county in the east. Travel time between the two terminuses (终点站) can be cut to 11 hours and 26 minutes.

Now with the 2,712-kilometer-long closed railway loop around the Taklamakan Desert, millions of locals and visitors now are able     5    (travel) through the desert more easily. Additionally, the     6    (recent) opened track has also improved local transportation conditions, with six freight (货运) and passenger stations, eleven passenger stations     7    five stations for technical use. Xinjiang-grown crops may now be delivered through the railway line, instead of taking days by trucks.

The Heruo Railway has become one of the key international passageways,     8    connect China’s western hinterland (内陆) to South Asia, Central and West Asia as a regional trunk line in central and western China. The greatly     9    (improve) transportation has boosted southern Xinjiang’s economic and social development. It is important for ensuring harmony and     10    (promote) rural revitalization (振兴).

Both research and     1     (explore) in the Arctic are fundamental to understanding and dealing with climate change issues. With the melting of Arctic ice, the polar region could provide an opportunity to     2     (well) understand the effects of global warming. The Arctic is     3     great importance, among other things, for the environment, trade, investment, energy and security. It is evaluated     4     (have) a quarter of the world’s oil and natural gas. China has a clear Arctic policy, explained in a White Paper,    5     corresponds well with the concept of a “Polar Silk Road”.

Thanks to global warming, Arctic ice is melting,    6     (open) up the possibility of a “Northern shipping route” via the Northwest, Central and Northeast     7     (passage). Shipping time between China and Europe via the Arctic would be shorter than     8     existing one through the Indian Ocean and Suez Canal. Although this does not mean the “Northern route” would replace these established ones, it would represent a new chance,    9     (particular) in the trade of energy and minerals. As issued in the white paper, great importance     10     (attach)to voyage security in the Arctic shipping routes and studies on the routes by China these years.