Presidents of Bolivia and China in August 2011

Bolivia's President Evo Morales (left) is shown meeting with China's President Hu Jintao in August. Morales said after the visit that Chinese officials expressed interest in making the railway project a priority. It's not immediately clear how much the railway would cost, or how much financial support China might provide. Credit: Xinhua photo by Lan Hongguang.

Bolivia’s president said Monday that he hopes to build a new railway linking his country to Peru that would facilitate exports to Asia.

Bolivian President Evo Morales said he has discussed the plan with Peruvian President Ollanta Humala. Morales told the Peruvian radio station RPP that the railway would run from Puerto Suarez, on Bolivia’s border with Brazil, to the Pacific port of Ilo in Peru.

“It’s my great dream,” Morales said, adding that Brazil and Peru would also gain from having a railway link. He said it would carry agricultural products as well as other commodities to Asian countries.

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