Rising Economies' İnfrastructure Philosophy: Think Big

HANGZHOU, CHINA - Gravel-laden barges glide past the willow-fringed banks of the Grand Canal, plying a trade route built 2,500 years ago to bring grain from China's fertile south to its rulers in the north.

Now the 1,125-mile passage is part of an even grander scheme: a $150 billion plan to bring water from the mighty Yangtze River to the parched north in what is the world's most expensive infrastructure project.

Increasingly, a group of rising economies, from Brazil to the United Arab Emirates, is building the showcase projects that once were mainly the pride of the United States, Western Europe and Japan. America's Hoover Dam made headlines in the 1930s; today, it is China's $25 billion Three Gorges Dam.

Just as railways and highways transformed the United States into an industrial superpower, the 21st-century building boom is laying the foundations for these rapidly growing economies to join the top leagues.

"Projects are getting bigger and bigger in the developing economies, not only to cater for demand but also in anticipation of future growth," said Wilfred Lau, director at the engineering and design consultancy Ove Arup & Partners in Hong Kong.

Half of the 30 most expensive projects globally are in China, Brazil, the Middle East and other parts of the developing world, according to a list compiled by the Associated Press. A dozen are in wealthy countries, and three others are energy pipelines that will link Western Europe with Russia and Turkey. The data come from governments and companies involved in the various projects, and from AP archives.

Not all these projects will necessarily be completed, but cancellations would seem at least as likely among the cash-strapped governments of the West and Japan as anywhere else.

Topping the list is China's South-North Water Diversion plan, which would use the Grand Canal and two other routes to channel water to Beijing and other fast-growing northern cities. Alone, its price tag dwarfs the $65 billion for all five U.S. projects in the top 30.