KUCHING, Oct 29 — Sarawak is keen to draw lessons from Sichuan’s success in developing an extensive and environmentally sustainable transport network, said Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.
The deputy premier led a delegation for a courtesy call and technical briefing hosted by the Sichuan Provincial Department of Transport in Chengdu, China yesterday.
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Port Development (MIPD) today, Uggah said Sarawak’s engagement with Sichuan was both timely and strategic, given the geographical and environmental similarities between the two regions.
“Sichuan’s success in developing an extensive and award-winning road network across complex terrains offers valuable insights for Sarawak as we continue to advance our infrastructure and connectivity agenda under the PCDS 2030 (Post Covid-19 Development Strategy),” he said.
Sarawak’s infrastructure and port development minister noted that the visit underscores Sarawak’s steadfast commitment to fostering closer cooperation with Sichuan, particularly in the domains of infrastructure development, technological advancement, and sustainable connectivity.
“Sichuan’s ability to harmonise infrastructure growth with environmental protection provides valuable lessons for Sarawak. We aspire to adopt and adapt such best practices to ensure that our infrastructure and road connectivity projects meet the highest ecological standards,” he said.
Uggah said the engagement marks another step in strengthening Sarawak–Sichuan collaboration in sustainability, technological exchange, and environmentally responsible development.
He said Sarawak was particularly interested in learning from Sichuan’s ecological management system, especially in areas such as transport governance, industrial support mechanisms, and technology-driven environmental safeguards.
“This visit further reinforces Sarawak’s resolve to pursue a development pathway that balances modernisation with conservation. We look forward to enhancing cooperation with Sichuan to advance sustainable, smart, and resilient infrastructure for the benefit of our people,” he added.
The Sarawak delegation was received by the department’s deputy director general Wang Maokui and several divisional directors.
During the briefing, the Sichuan authorities presented an overview of their mandate, key achievements, and strategic initiatives in transport planning, construction, and management.
The province currently ranks first in China for total road mileage, with approximately 418,000km of highways — including about 369,000km of rural roads and 10,310km of expressways, the latter ranking third nationally.
Despite its challenging terrain shaped by the Tibetan Plateau and the Yangtze River basin, Sichuan has developed one of China‘s most advanced and environmentally responsible transport systems.
Its achievements include award-winning expressways and pioneering technologies in bridge, tunnel and elevated road construction designed to uphold both safety and ecological integrity.
The Sichuan Department of Transport also shared its sustainable planning strategies, which incorporate intelligent monitoring systems and green engineering methodologies to address challenges such as complex geology, rising construction costs, and environmental preservation.
According to the briefing, Sichuan’s planning framework integrates Building Information Modelling (BIM), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based assessment tools to identify, predict, and mitigate potential geological and environmental risks.
The department also briefed the delegation on China’s and Sichuan’s stringent ecological regulations, which ensure that infrastructure projects minimise or prevent environmental degradation during planning and construction.
The Sarawak delegation was also invited to visit selected expressway sites and receive further briefings on Sichuan’s planning systems, construction technologies, and environmental protection frameworks. — The Borneo Post
