【BBC時事一周（粵語）——記者來鴻】緊握巴爾幹半島亞得裏亞海咽喉的黑山共和國（Montenegro）有一條路，被稱為「歐洲最昂貴的瀝青路」。
這全長 170 公里高速公路將連接該國主要港口和北部的鄰國塞爾維亞（Serbia）。2014 年，黑山政府與一家中國國有企業簽合同，建設首42公里的瀝青路，標價大約10億歐元（11.32億美元；88.32億港元；71.58億元人民幣），其中大部分貸款來自一間中國的銀行。
該項目備受爭議，但人口60萬的黑山有很多人盼望這條高速公路能促進經濟前景。
BBC記者琳達·普雷斯利（Linda Pressly）在當地遇到一些支持者和反對者。
It’s been called the priciest piece of tarmac in the world. In 2014 the government of Montenegro signed a contract with a state-owned Chinese company to build part of a 170 kilometre-long highway – a road that would connect its main port with the Serbian border to the north. The price-tag on the first 42 kilometres of asphalt was a staggering $1 billion - most of which has been borrowed from a Chinese bank. In Montenegro, questions continue to be asked about why the project went ahead when some experts said that it was not viable. The River Tara – a UNESCO protected site – has been impacted by the building works, and allegations of corruption and kickbacks have hung around like a bad smell. Meanwhile, the economy has taken a massive hit as a result of the pandemic, and some Montenegrins worry about the country's ability to repay the loan. Worse still, a clause in the road contract states that Montenegro may relinquish sovereignty over unspecified parts of its territory if there is a default. But is everything as it seems? Assignment investigates.
Presenter: Linda Pressly
2022年2月19日
Here’s a puzzle: what cost nearly a billion pounds, has not been finished, and will not do what it was designed for any time soon? The answer is a new road in Montenegro. It was supposed to link the country’s main port to Montenegro’s neighbor, Serbia, encouraging valuable cargo to the country. However, the project is already two years late, and so far, this road to the sea does not actually reach the sea stopping way short. Chinese money is involved, along with Montenegrin politicians past and present, and some allege corruption behind what Linda Pressly says is fast becoming another Balkan scandal.
Reference:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0013qsc
https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/trad/fooc-60441131
https://www.npr.org/2021/06/28/1010832606/road-deal-with-china-is-blamed-for-catapulting-montenegro-into-historic-debt
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0bgvf52
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