China has accelerated plans for a railway through the heart of the Amazon rainforest - prompting fury from environmentalists.
On a visit to Brasilia today, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang unveiled his plans to link Brazil's Atlantic coast with a Pacific port in Peru.
The 5,300km track would cut through swathes of jungle to slash the transport time and costs for Brazil's exports such as of soy and iron ore.
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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang unveiled plans to link Brazil's Atlantic coast with a Pacific port in Peru
But environmentalists are warning the plans would have a devastating impact on the world's largest tropical rainforest.
Experts fear that not only will the construction destroy miles of jungle but it could open up untouched areas to illegal logging and cattle ranchers.
The rights of indigenous communities and previously uncontacted tribes were also thought to be under threat.
