A passage that crosses the karst mountains has taken a big step forward in the long-awaited dream of going out to sea in the Bosnia and Herzegovina region: the key node of the Pan European 5C Corridor Bosnia and Herzegovina section, the Kvani Tunnel, has been officially completed. Chinese enterprises have overcome this obstacle in less than a year, bringing the Balkan inland closer to the European market.

Break through hard bones in a year

On September 7, 2026, news came from the construction site of the Kovani Buna section of the highway in Bosnia and Herzegovina that a construction team led by Chinese enterprises had completed the excavation of the Kovani tunnel, achieving the first level of connectivity on both sides of the mountain. This tunnel is not an ordinary cave, but one of the most difficult nodes to gnaw on on the entire highway. The paper with broken rock layers, frequent water surges, and geological images repeatedly crumpled cannot even keep up with the regular progress.

After CRBC enters the site, mature domestic excavation methods, advanced support, and information-based monitoring will be moved into the Boheshan Mountain area. It took less than a year to start the complex section and complete the key parts. The Minister of Transport and Communications of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Katic, evaluated that the technical capabilities and construction efficiency of Chinese enterprises are trustworthy. Chinese Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Li Fan, also said that behind this is Chinese technology, Chinese speed, and Chinese responsibility.

The 5C corridor connects the Three Kingdoms

The Kvani Buna section may seem like just a road within Bosnia and Herzegovina, but it is actually one of the jigsaw puzzles of the pan European 5C corridor. This corridor runs through Hungary, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, starting from Central Europe and passing through Southeast Europe to reach the Mediterranean Sea, serving as the main artery connecting the Balkans.

In the past, the region of Herzegovina was trapped by mountains, and goods had to either detour or wait for the weather to go to the seaside or enter Western European markets. Once the 5C corridor is connected, Bosnia and Herzegovina will no longer be a blind spot: it will connect Hungary and the EU hinterland to the north, Croatian ports to the south, the Balkan inland to the east, and Mediterranean shipping to the west. A path that directly extends the development radius of inland countries.

Win win situation among China, Poland and Europe

At the tunnel opening ceremony, the Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nelmin Nik š i ć, spoke frankly: This is a crucial step in enhancing Bosnia and Herzegovina's transportation connectivity and has significant implications for promoting the construction of the Pan European 5C Corridor. After the completion of the project, the connection between Bosnia and Herzegovina and other regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina will become closer, and the channel for connecting with the European market will be smoother, which will also drive the chain of employment, logistics, tourism, and manufacturing industries.

What's even more special is the collaborative background. The project is not a unilateral output, but a joint construction sample under the tripartite rules, funding, technology, and management framework of China, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the European Union. Chinese enterprises are responsible for doing difficult tasks beautifully, while Poland obtains the development backbone and Europe fills the gap in the pan European road network. As the Chinese side said, this is a vivid manifestation of the high-quality joint construction of the the Belt and Road between China and Poland, as well as a practical footnote of third-party market cooperation.keywords:Engineering infrastructure

The mountain is still the same, but after the completion of the Kovani Tunnel, Bosnia and Herzegovina has become closer to the European market, the Balkans have become closer to integration, and the story of China's infrastructure going global has added a footnote that can withstand challenges and achieve mutual benefits.Editor/Yang Meiling