Speakers:
Li Xiaopeng, minister of transport
Feng Zhenglin, administrator of the Civil Aviation Administration
Ma Junsheng, director general of the State Post Bureau
Liu Zhenfang, administrator of the National Railway Administration
Chairperson:
Hu Kaihong, spokesperson for the State Council Information Office
Date:
Oct. 22, 2020
Hu Kaihong:
Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. Welcome to this press conference held by the State Council Information Office (SCIO). China's transport sector has made remarkable progress during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020). I believe people have felt the tangible benefits from it. Today, we are delighted to be joined by Mr. Li Xiaopeng, minister of transport; Mr. Feng Zhenglin, administrator of the Civil Aviation Administration; Mr. Ma Junsheng, director general of the State Post Bureau; and Mr. Liu Zhenfang, administrator of the National Railway Administration. They will introduce the development of China's transport sector during the 13th Five-Year Plan period and answer your questions. First, let's give the floor to Mr. Li.
Li Xiaopeng:
Thank you, Mr. Hu. Ladies and gentlemen, friends from the media, good afternoon. It is a pleasure for us to take part in this press conference and brief you on the implementation of the 13th Five-Year Plan with regards to the transport sector.
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that the 13th Five-Year Plan period is a golden period for developing transport infrastructure, improving service quality, and promoting transformation and development. During this time, we have been implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Under the strong leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, and with wide support from all parts of society and people's active participation, we have been implementing new development approaches and deepening supply-side structural reforms in a united, concerted and determined manner. We anticipate that the targets outlined in the 13th Five-Year Plan will be accomplished, which will provide strong support in winning the battle against poverty and creating a moderately prosperous society in all respects.
The 13th Five-Year Plan period has witnessed the accelerated development of China's transport sector. It is estimated that China's fixed-asset investment in the sector will reach 16 trillion yuan. By the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period, China's total railway operation length will reach 146,000 kilometers, connecting 99% of cities with a population of over 200,000. China's high-speed railway operation length has reached nearly 38,000 kilometers, ranking first in the world and covering 95% of cities with a population of 1 million and above. China's road network has reached nearly 5.1 million kilometers in length, including 155,000 kilometers of expressways. The length of China's expressways is also the highest in the world, covering 98.6% of cities and prefecture-level administrative centers with a population of over 200,000. The length of high-grade inland waterways has reached 16,100 kilometers, and there are 2,530 berths of 10,000-ton-class or above at costal ports. The length of urban rail transit has reached 7,000 kilometers, and China also has 241 civil airports, covering 92% of prefecture-level cities.
The 13th Five-Year Plan period has witnessed the transport sector's all-round victory in the battle against poverty. Estimates show that during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, over 950 billion yuan of revenue from vehicle purchase tax will have been allocated by the central government to support road construction projects in poor areas, accounting for 68% of the total. This revenue will mainly be used to support the construction of highways in impoverished areas, national and provincial trunk highways, and rural roads. The development of rural roads has quickened during the 13th Five-Year Plan period. By the end of this September, a total of 1.39 million kilometers of rural roads have been newly built or upgraded, with this figure estimated to exceed 1.4 million kilometers by the end of this year. As General Secretary Xi Jinping said, the move to improve rural roads has produced tangible benefits in recent years, bringing more people and wealth to rural areas, especially poor regions, and rallying community support for the CPC.
