At a cost of 0.8 billion yuan ( about 100 million US dollars), the Chinese Ministry of Communications is building China's longest domestic highway across the Taklimakan desert in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, according to People's Liberation Army Daily on Wednesday.

The "Aral to Hotan desert road" will be 424 kilometers in length. It will start at the city of Aral and end at the Hotan prefecture in the county of Lop. 180 of the planned 424 kilometers of the road will be constructed by the People's Armed Police Force. The rest will be constructed by other organizations.

The highway is intended to shorten the distance of transportation between Aksu prefecture and the Hotan area.

The technologically sophisticated project faces a challenging and hostile desert environment. The Chinese Communication Authority will transfer experts from across the country to assist the armed police forces.

Source: Xinhua