BEIJING — China has opened the world's longest cross-sea bridge.

The Jiaozhou Bay bridge is 26 miles long and links China's eastern port city of Qingdao to an offshore island, Huangdao.

State-run CCTV says the 110-foot-wide bridge is the longest of its kind and cost more than $1.5 billion.

CCTV says the bridge passed construction appraisals on Monday and the bridge and an undersea tunnel opened to traffic on Thursday.

It has taken four years to build the bridge, which is supported by more than 5,000 pillars.

According to Guinness World Records, the previous record holder for a bridge over water is the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana. The Chinese bridge is more than 2.5 miles longer.

TOKYO — Mazda's president believes gasoline engines will still power 80 to 90 percent of the world's autos even in 20 years time, and remains confident it can grow without electric vehicles.The comments today from Mazda Motor Corp. President Takashi Yamanouchi contrast with the strategy at Japanese rival Nissan Motor Co., which is banking heavily on its Leaf electric car, one of the first mass-produced EVs on the market.Yamanouchi said Mazda's efficient gas engine called “Skyactiv” will be a pillar of its growth strategy as the Hiroshima-based manufacturer seeks to boost sales in emerging markets, where electric vehicles and hybrids aren't expected to be as popular as in developed nations.“Skyactiv will be one of the drivers of our growth,” Yamanouchi told reporters at a Tokyo hotel, where Mazda showed a new subcompact.Mazda currently has no hybrid vehicle in its lineup. It plans to start selling a hybrid by 2013.Hybrids still require gas engines, and Yamanouchi said they can be counted as part of what will be the 80 or 90 percent of cars that aren't electric.