Medvedev orders Vladivostok bridge
05 September 2008
Russia's President, Dmitry Medvedev, has signed a decree authorising construction of a US$ 1 billion (€ 704 million) suspension bridge linking the city of Vladivostok to Russky Island, where the 2012 APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit will be held.
The 3,15 km-long bridge is part of a US$ 6 billion (€ 4.2 billion) project to prepare for the summit. A conference centre and several luxury hotels are planned for the island, along with improvements to Vladivostok's airport and roads.
The summit will bring together the leaders of the 21 APEC member states, which cumulatively account for about half of the global economy.
The 21 member countries include, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, US, Hong Kong, China, People's Republic of China People's Republic of China, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Chile, Peru, Russia and Vietnam.
The following countries have all applied for membership, India, Mongolia, Pakistan, Laos, Bangladesh, Colombia and Ecuador.
