"Boasting 'Earthquake-Resistant Chinese Technology'... Actually 'K Construction' Causes Diplomatic Embarrassment for China"

Self-Praise of 'Chinese Technology' on Twitter
Korean Company Wins Contract... Opened Last Year

A Chinese consulate general, which boasted about China's technological prowess regarding the world's longest suspension bridge over the Dardanelles Strait in T?rkiye connecting the continents of Asia and Europe, was embarrassed. It was revealed that the bridge was built not by China but by a Korean company.

On the 13th, Meifang Zhang (?美芳), Consul General of the Chinese Consulate General in Northern Ireland, posted an 11-second video on Twitter. The video showed the world's longest suspension bridge (4.6 km) crossing the Dardanelles Strait in western T?rkiye, the '?anakkale 1915 Bridge.'

The ?anakkale Bridge in T?rkiye, the world's longest suspension bridge, was constructed by Daelim Industrial (now DL E&C) and SK Engineering & Construction (now SK Ecoplant) and opened in March last year.
[Photo by DL E&C]

The video was tagged with '#China Tech.' The post sparked a heated response, being retweeted over 100 times.

However, it was revealed that the bridge was constructed by Daelim Industrial (now DL E&C) and SK Engineering & Construction (now SK Ecoplant). They jointly won the contract from the Turkish government in March 2017, and it was a massive project worth 3.2 trillion KRW.

Opened in March last year, the bridge is the world's longest suspension bridge with a length of 4.6 km (2 km between main towers) and boasts main towers 318 meters high, taller than the 63 Building (274 m).

The post surpassed 1.6 million views and was also shared on the official Twitter account of the Chinese Embassy in France. In the process, a message in French was added stating that "the suspension bridge built by China in T?rkiye withstood the earthquake."

The original post by Meifang Zhang, Consul General of the Chinese Consulate General in Northern Ireland, has since been deleted. However, the video and text remain intact on the official Twitter account of the Chinese Embassy in France.

The ?anakkale Bridge in T?rkiye, the world's longest suspension bridge, was constructed by Daelim Industrial (now DL E&C) and SK Engineering & Construction (now SK Ecoplant) and opened in March last year.
[Photo by DL E&C]

Meanwhile, there are also criticisms that linking the ?anakkale Bridge to the earthquake was inappropriate. The bridge is located more than 1,000 km away from the epicenter of the recent strong earthquake in southeastern T?rkiye, an area with no earthquake damage.

One Twitter user pointed out, "The bridge was built by Korea, not China," adding, "Moreover, it is located over 1,000 km away from the earthquake zone and requires a 14-hour drive, so it has nothing to do with the earthquake."