.

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Speakers:

Mr. Li Xiaopeng, minister of transport

Mr. Xu Chengguang, vice minister of transport

Chairperson:

Ms. Xing Huina, deputy director general of the Press Bureau of the State Council Information Office (SCIO) and spokesperson of the SCIO

Date:

Feb. 23, 2023

Xing Huina:

Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. Welcome to this press conference held by the State Council Information Office (SCIO). This is the third briefing in the series "Embarking on the New Journey — A Government Perspective." Today, we are joined by Mr. Li Xiaopeng, minister of transport, and Mr. Xu Chengguang, vice minister of transport. They will brief you on the efforts being made in moving faster to boost China's strength in transportation and striving to make transportation development a pioneer in China's modernization drive, and then take your questions.

Now, I'll give the floor to Mr. Li Xiaopeng for a brief introduction.

Li Xiaopeng:

Thank you, Ms. Xing. Ladies and gentlemen, friends from the media, good afternoon. It is a great pleasure to attend this press conference and meet with you. On behalf of the Ministry of Transport (MOT), I would like to express to you my heartfelt gratitude for your long-standing interest in, support and help for, as well as supervision of China's transportation development.

In 2022, under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, the transportation sector earnestly implemented the requirements to ensure effective COVID-19 containment, economic stability and safe development. It worked to prevent and control the pandemic in a targeted and well-conceived manner, and spared no efforts to ensure unimpeded transportation and safe production. It also worked to scale-up effective investment and solve difficulties facing businesses. As a result, the transportation sector has completed all tasks involved in its annual targets and achieved a good performance.

This year marks the first year of implementing the guiding principles from the 20th CPC National Congress. The transportation sector will earnestly act on Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress, making both as our primary political tasks and long-term strategic missions, and implementing the guiding principles with determination.

General Secretary Xi Jinping has attached great importance to the development of transportation. He has pointed out that since the founding of the People's Republic of China, generations of Chinese people have worked in the spirit of building roads through mountains and putting bridges over rivers, and turned China into a country with vast transportation infrastructure. Today, we are redoubling our efforts to build a country with great transportation strength. Transportation development has become a pioneer in China's modernization drive. He also fully recognized the hard work, the sense of responsibility and commitment, and the significant contributions of officials and staff in the sector. General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions have charted the course for the transportation sector and provided fundamental principles for our work. We will follow the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and continue implementing the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress and General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions on transportation development. We will also work hard, shoulder our responsibilities and devote ourselves to expediting the building of a nation strong in transportation. The transportation sector will strive to be a pioneer in China's modernization drive, and make persistent efforts and new contributions toward building China into a great modern socialist country.

This year, we will formulate and roll out a five-year action plan to expedite China's transformation into a transportation powerhouse (2023-2027). We will work to prevent and control the pandemic in the transportation sector in a targeted and well-conceived manner, and ramp up efforts to ensure unimpeded transportation and safe production. We will advance the construction of integrated multidimensional transportation networks , expand effective investment in the field, improve transportation service and support capacity, and further adjust and optimize the nation's transportation structure and foster its green and low-carbon transformation. We will also expedite the building of a unified and open transportation market and promote global cooperation in the transportation sector. We will resolutely exercise full and rigorous Party self-governance, strengthen Party building, improve conduct, build integrity and combat corruption. In the coming period, we will also work to ensure sound transportation services and support for the annual sessions of China's top legislature and political advisory body.

In short, we will make concerted efforts and strive to accomplish all tasks this year, so as to live up to the expectations of the Party and the people. That concludes my introduction. Next, Mr. Xu and I will take your questions. Thank you.

Xing Huina:

Thank you, Mr. Li. Now the floor is open for questions. Please identify the media organization you work for before asking your questions.

Tide News:  

After the 19th CPC National Congress put forward the building of a nation strong in transportation, the 20th CPC National Congress stipulated the efforts to move faster to boost China's strength in transportation. What progress has been made in this regard over the past five years? What are the plans and arrangements going forward? Thank you.

Li Xiaopeng:

Thank you for your questions. Moving faster to boost China's strength in transportation is a major strategic decision made by the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core in light of the national conditions, the overall interests and the future development. As you said, the 19th CPC National Congress put forward the building of a nation strong in transportation, and the 20th CPC National Congress noted the efforts to move faster to boost China's strength in transportation. General Secretary Xi Jinping has attached great importance to the issue. As I mentioned earlier, he stressed that, "since the founding of the People's Republic of China, generations of Chinese people have worked in the spirit of building roads through mountains and putting bridges over rivers, and turned China into a country with vast transportation infrastructure. Today, we are redoubling our efforts to build a country with great transportation strength." He also noted that "transportation development has become a pioneer in China's modernization drive." The CPC Central Committee and the State Council issued the Outline for Building China's Strength in Transportation and the Outline for National Comprehensive Transportation Network , which further improved the top-level design accordingly. The MOT has earnestly implemented the decisions made by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, continuously advancing the work in all respects, and got off to a good start in the matter.

First, the infrastructure network continues to be improved. During the five years since the 19th CPC National Congress, which is from 2018 to 2022, fixed-asset investment in the country's transportation sector exceeded 17 trillion yuan, and China built the world's largest high-speed railway and expressway networks as well as a world-class port cluster. By the end of 2022, the total length of the country's comprehensive transportation network exceeded 6 million km. In breakdown, the operating mileage of the railway network reached 155,000 km, of which high-speed railways accounted for 42,000 km. The country had a total of 5.35 million km of highways by the end of 2022, of which expressways represented 177,000 km. China now has 21,000 quay berths for production use , including 2,751 for berths of 10,000-tonne-class or above. The length of navigable inland waterways reached 128,000 km, including 15,000 km of waterways of level three and above which can be used for ships of 1,000 metric tons or more. The number of certified civil airports across the country reached 254. Urban rail transit now runs across 53 cities in China, with operating length totaling 9,584 km. In terms of rural roads, all villages, townships and towns with the necessary conditions have access to paved roads and bus routes. Regarding the postal service, there are now postal service stations in every village, and every township has access to such services. A group of major projects has also been built and put into operation, such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, Beijing Daxing International Airport, Phase IV of the Shanghai Yangshan Deep Water Port and Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed railway line, to name a few. Construction of other major projects such as the Sichuan-Tibet Railway, Shenzhen-Zhongshan link and Pinglu Canal is also being expedited. This is the first aspect of the achievements, which is the continuously improving infrastructure network.

Second, transportation services have been continuously improved. We have promoted the quality of travel services, ensured smooth logistics flow, and pushed the rapid development of new business forms. As a result, China's key transportation indicators – including passenger and freight volume and business volume of postal and express services – rank first worldwide. In 2022, the country's commercial passenger volume hit 5.59 billion, its commercial freight volume stood at 50.6 billion tonnes, its port throughput amounted to 15.68 billion tonnes, and its container throughput exceeded 300 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). Data related to people's livelihood showed that expressway travel volume of passenger vehicles with less than nine seats surpassed 17.1 billion, and average daily ride-hailing and bike-sharing orders exceeded 20 million and 33 million, respectively. In addition, express delivery volume surpassed 110 billion, and express delivery companies handled an average of more than 300 million parcels daily.

Third, high-quality development has been promoted. The planning system in the transport sector has been advanced, as China issued a comprehensive transportation plan for the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) period, as well as the medium- and long-term plan for the highway network. In addition, scientific and technological innovation has significantly increased. We have further advanced green and low-carbon transformation, improved talent training and management, continuously deepened reform, and optimized laws, regulations, and the business environment.

Fourth, international cooperation has been boosted. Many international cooperation projects, such as the China-Laos Railway and the China-Russia highway bridge, have been completed and put into operation. China-Europe freight trains have now reached more than 200 cities across 25 countries in Europe. More than 300 international passenger and freight transit lines have been opened, and shipping services now serve all coastal countries along the Belt and Road. Domestic airlines operate regular international flights to 153 cities in 62 countries, and postal and express services connect more than 220 countries and regions worldwide.

To put it simply, during the past five years, China's comprehensive strength in the transportation sector has been significantly enhanced, with some advanced fields ranking first globally, which guarantees the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and the building of a modern socialist country.

Next, the MOT will formulate and implement a five-year action plan to accelerate the building of China's strength in transportation. We will mainly focus on the following 10 aspects. First, we will speed up modern transport infrastructure projects' construction and optimize their layout, structure, function and system integration. Second, we will advance service quality to achieve easier movement of people and a smooth flow of goods. Third, we will boost the integration of urban and rural transport to better serve rural revitalization and coordinated regional development. Fourth, we will highlight an innovation-driven approach and promote digitalization, intellectualization and V2X (vehicle-to-everything). Fifth, we will deepen green and low-carbon transformation, adjust its structure and develop clean transport. Sixth, we will stress safety in production, strengthen industry supervision, and guarantee security in key fields. Seventh, we will expand transport opening-up and cooperation, and facilitate its connectivity, to push forward global transport cooperation and the high-quality development of the BRI. Eighth, we will improve talent training and management. Ninth, we will enhance management capability, optimize laws and regulations, and strengthen comprehensive regulation to build a unified and open transport market and improve its business environment. Tenth, we will strengthen the Party's leadership and building in the transportation sector.

We will follow the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and earnestly implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress and the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping on the transportation sector. We will forge ahead in building China's strength in transportation at a faster pace, let the transportation sector be a pioneer in China's modernization drive, and make new and greater contributions to the building of a modern socialist country. Thank you.

Nanfang Daily:

This year's Spring Festival travel rush was the first since China optimized its COVID-19 prevention and control measures. What was the overall performance of the transportation sector? What supporting measures did the 2023 Spring Festival Transportation Special Group take during the travel rush? Thank you.

Li Xiaopeng:

Thanks for your questions. As you said, this year's Spring Festival travel rush was the first of its kind since China's COVID-19 response entered a new stage, making it the most uncertain, complicated and challenging one in recent years. The CPC Central Committee and the State Council attached great importance to it. On Jan. 18, General Secretary Xi Jinping extended festive greetings to all Chinese people when he held nationwide virtual talks with the general public. He underscored the importance of Spring Festival travel to people's immediate interests, economic development, and social stability and made clear requests to ensure safe and sound trips during the travel rush. 

The MOT and relevant departments resolutely implemented the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping, as well as the decisions and deployments of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council. A special group for the Spring Festival travel rush was set up, led by the MOT, and involved 16 ministries and units. We utilized our maximum capacity and provided our best services to coordinate epidemic prevention and control with transportation services. We also created a safe, healthy, convenient, and comfortable transportation experience for people and ensured the smooth delivery of all sorts of key materials.

This year's Spring Festival travel rush generally had the following features. First, the movement of people increased substantially. There was a sharp recovery in passenger traffic as people returned to their hometowns for family reunions, visited relatives and friends, enjoyed tourism and holidays, and traveled for business. According to incomplete statistics, passenger trips exceeded 4.7 billion, an increase of nearly 30% over 2022, the highest number for the Spring Festival travel rush since 2020. The CPC Central Committee's major judgment on the epidemic situation, major decisions on the prevention and control work, and major adjustments in prevention and control strategies have proven completely correct. The policy was successfully implemented, recognized by the people, and enormously effective. China's traffic volume hit 4.7 billion trips over 40 days, reflecting the country's mobile, developing, vibrant and hopeful nature.

Second, self-driving trips reached a record high. Amid the 40-day travel rush this year, there were about 1.184 billion vehicle trips on expressways, carrying more than 3.1 billion passengers. The daily average number of passenger cars reached 29.6 million, with the single-day tally exceeding 60 million on the sixth day of the first lunar month. The share of vehicle trips in the total transfer of personnel jumped to 66% from 47% in 2019.

Third, trips via public transport recovered significantly. It reached about 1.6 billion during the 40-day travel rush this year, an increase of more than 50% over 2022, resuming to about 50% of the level in 2019.

Fourth, transport and logistics functioned smoothly and orderly. During the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush, the transportation of key materials was maintained relatively smooth, meeting the demands of material transportation in medical treatment, energy, food, production and living, spring plowing and other fields.

Fifth, epidemic prevention and control policies were steadily implemented. The epidemic response measures during the travel rush were specified and carefully carried out. Working staff strictly implemented protection and control measures, while the public actively cooperated with them to ensure their individual health protection. Therefore, cross-infection was prevented to the maximum extent and the health of passengers and staff was guaranteed during the large-scale flow of people and logistics.

This year's Spring Festival travel rush ended successfully, with people's satisfaction and sense of fulfillment being significantly enhanced. We mainly adopted the following three measures. First, we took stronger steps to ensure safety of transportation. We carried out actions to identify and address safety hazards in key areas, strengthened our ability to cope with severe weather, and made efforts to raise people's awareness of safe travel. All these efforts have resulted in generally stable and safe transportation during the travel rush. Second, we carried out epidemic prevention and control in a targeted and well-planned manner. We put in place specified prevention and control measures for transport stations and vehicles, strengthened the protection of working staff, and implemented measures designed for combating Class B infectious diseases. Third, we enhanced the organization and arrangement of traffic capacity. In terms of transportation capacity, we strengthened the analysis, organization and arrangement in key areas at key periods to tap the potential and meet the demands of passengers. Regarding the expressway network, we enhanced monitoring and ensured smooth transport. In terms of smooth transportation and logistics, we prioritized unimpeded traffic by consolidating our work in coordination and dispatch. We maintained steady operations during the Spring Festival travel rush through these efforts. In particular, we must point out that all localities and government departments attached great importance to the travel rush. Chief officials in some provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly guided the work and some even personally traveled to the stations for inspections or traffic arrangement. With the concerted efforts of the Spring Festival travel rush task force, and the cooperation from railways, highways, waterways, civil aviation, the postal service, and various transport fields, as well as officials and workers at grass-roots levels, who dedicated themselves to the work, the smooth Spring Festival travel rush was guaranteed.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt appreciation and sincere greetings to officials and workers from all departments and localities, as well as those frontline workers for their hard work and dedication, and to the public for their understanding and support. In particular, I should mention that media workers played an important role in reporting the Spring Festival travel rush in a dynamic and much deeper way. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to them. Of course, we are well aware that there is still room for us to improve our work relating to the Spring Festival travel rush since it is very important and the requirements of the people are still high. In the future, we will make persistent efforts and continue to do better work for the Spring Festival travel rush and better meet the needs of the people. We also need your help and supervision in this respect, as well as good opinions and suggestions. Thanks.

Cover News:

As we know, transport and logistics are connected to production on one end and consumption on the other end. What has been the overall situation of the work to ensure smooth logistics since April last year? What measures will be taken next to accelerate efforts to foster a new development pattern? Thanks.

Li Xiaopeng:

Thank you for your question about keeping logistics services smooth. You are correct in stating transportation and logistics connect both production and consumption. It is an important foundation for safeguarding the normal order of people's life and production, promoting the stability of industrial and supply chains, and supporting economic and social reform, development and stability. The CPC Central Committee and the State Council have attached great importance to the work on maintaining smooth transportation and logistics. General Secretary Xi Jinping has made important instructions to ensure smooth transportation and logistics. The MOT has conscientiously implemented the instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping and, in accordance with the decisions and deployments of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, set up the leading group for ensuring smooth logistics together with relevant departments. All localities have also established working mechanisms led by local authorities to ensure smooth logistics, strengthen overall planning and management, closely link supply with demand, and provide follow-up services. We have carried out a series of measures such as on-duty shifts, one-to-one coordination, and dealing with cases without delays. With joint efforts, we have achieved phased results in ensuring smooth transportation and logistics.

First, we have maintained the smooth flow on major arterial roads and ensured the unimpeded microcirculation in transportation. The expressway toll stations and service areas that were temporarily closed have all been opened. Epidemic prevention checkpoints temporarily set up on roads, waterways and locks in various localities were all closed. Meanwhile, delivery distribution centers and outlets above the county level that had been shut down nationwide have all resumed services. Stations, airports, ports, and docks are operating normally.

Second, transportation and logistics operations have returned to normal. In 2022, the country's total commercial freight volume increased by 8.2% over 2019. During the Spring Festival travel rush this year, the average daily freight volume of railways, the average daily freight flow of expressways, and the average daily cargo throughput of monitored ports all increased by more than 20% over 2019. The average number of flights confirmed by civil aviation each day returned to about 80% of that in 2019. Average daily postal delivery services increased by 159.4% compared with 2019. These figures fully demonstrate that transportation and logistics operations have returned to normal.

Third, we have maintained the smooth and orderly transportation of key goods and materials. We have strengthened cooperation with key enterprises to ensure supplies regarding energy, food, people's livelihoods, foreign trade, agricultural materials and machines, medical equipment and other key goods, providing strong support for the smooth operation of the economy and society.

Such achievements could not be made without the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, the joint efforts of all member units of the leading group, and the working mechanisms of all localities. Moreover, they are attributed to the commitment and dedication of the frontline staff. Especially, media outlets including CCTV, Xinhua News Agency and People's Daily have taken the initiative to follow up our work and continuously cover related news, which has played an important role in guiding social expectations and creating a good atmosphere.

Although we have made some achievements, the situation we face in both domestic and international logistics is still severe and complicated. In the next step, we will implement the important instructions of the general secretary and fully leverage the role of the State Council's leading group for ensuring smooth logistics and its office to help build new development patterns, consolidate existing outcomes, mobilize forces in all areas, and ensure smooth transportation and logistics.

First, we need to maintain a smooth transportation network. It is necessary to have a 24-hour on-duty mechanism to strengthen the supervision of case transfer and coordination, arrange key logistics channels in time, and prevent prolonged, large-scale disruption and suspension of services.

Second, it is necessary to ensure the transportation of important goods. We need to better link supply with demand, strengthen overall planning and management, and improve emergency transportation capacity and emergency plans to safeguard the efficient and smooth transportation of key goods and promote unimpeded economic circulation. In particular, we should focus on energy, food, medical supplies and key livelihood supplies.

Third, it is necessary to safeguard smooth operation. We need to strengthen dispatching and operation monitoring, analyze problems in time, and ensure the safety and stability of transportation and logistics.

Fourth, maintaining smooth operation at the end of the logistics process is also essential. We need to improve the service network of the end distribution of urban and rural logistics, make every effort to open the last mile of goods transportation between urban and rural areas, facilitate economic circulation between urban and rural areas, and ensure production and people's regular lives.

Fifth, we need to safeguard international logistics. To ensure the smooth flow of international logistics supply chains, we should foster modern logistics enterprises with international competitiveness and strive to build an open, safe and reliable international logistics supply chain that is shared by the whole world.

All in all, under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, we will continue our efforts to ensure smooth transportation and logistics and provide strong support for economic circulation and development. Thank you.

Southern Metropolis Daily:

In the past three years, during the epidemic, the transportation industry faced many difficulties. What has the MOT done to help related enterprises tide over difficulties? Will there be any follow-up policies this year? Thank you.

Li Xiaopeng:

We will invite Mr. Xu Chengguang to take your questions.

Xu Chengguang:

Thank you for your questions. Transport and logistics are the lifeline of the market economy and an important guarantee for people's livelihoods. In 2022, due to multiple factors caused by the epidemic, transportation entities encountered considerable difficulties in their production and operations. The CPC Central Committee and the State Council attached great importance to that and offered key measures and assistance to them. The MOT thoroughly studied and implemented the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress, and acted in accordance with the requirements of "preventing the epidemic, stabilizing the economy, and ensuring safe development." We implemented a package of policies and follow-up policies to stabilize the economy, worked with relevant departments to refine policies and measures, and increased support for enterprises affected by the epidemic. With focus on stabilizing transportation entities, we made our own contribution to maintaining a stable economic market, and keeping the economy operating within a reasonable range. Our work was mainly as follows.

First, we have strengthened policy supply and leveraged the integrated effects of policies. We have introduced policies to reduce and combine port fees, reduced coastal port navigation fees, improved tugboat fee policies, and reduced cargo dues for a set period. We have also guided all localities to comprehensively promote differentiated toll collection on expressways, strictly implemented the green channel policy for fresh agricultural products, and exempted 10% of toll fees for road freight on toll roads in the fourth quarter. These policy measures have reduced and exempted approximately 96.6 billion yuan. We have also established a special re-lending scheme for transportation and logistics in cooperation with the People's Bank of China and cooperated with relevant departments to launch over 40 relief policies such as tax reduction and fee reduction measures, deferred payments of social security fees, financial subsidies, and credit support. These policies are highly targeted, widely beneficial, and have significant integrated effects.

Second, we took multiple measures to ensure relief policies were fully utilized. We guided transportation departments in all localities to establish and improve working mechanisms, formulate detailed rules for implementation, and promote the full implementation of relief policies. We conducted comprehensive and special inspections and worked to ensure all levels of transportation authorities fulfill their management responsibilities. We dynamically published a list of support policies, strengthened policy publicity and interpretation, and helped market entities fully understand and benefit from the policies. We also strengthened the connection between the government, banks, and enterprises and enhanced interdepartmental information sharing to facilitate the maximum effectiveness of relief policies. This year, our ministry, together with the People's Bank of China and the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC), issued a notice on further improving financial support and services in the transportation and logistics field, extending the transportation re-relending policy to the end of June 2023, expanding the policy support scope, simplifying application conditions, and shortening the reimbursement time.

Third, we have strengthened operation monitoring to ensure that the dividends of policies are fully released. We intensified monitoring over the economic operation of the industry and the business operations of enterprises and tracked the implementation of policies. We established and improved linkage mechanisms with departments such as those overseeing fiscal, taxation, and financial affairs and coordinated and solved problems in policy implementation. According to statistics, in 2022, the tax and fee burden on every 100 yuan of operating income in the transportation industry decreased by 15.4%. The transportation and logistics re-lending policy, the policy to allow deferred repayment of principal and interest for truck loans by central SOEs in the auto sector and financial institutions, and other policies have been implemented and taken effect, effectively reducing the burden on enterprises and practitioners and helping transportation and logistics market entities develop steadily and healthily.

In 2023, the MOT will thoroughly study and implement the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress and the spirit of the Central Economic Work Conference, conscientiously implement the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, guide the industry to make full use of various relief policies, continue to optimize the business environment, stimulate the vitality of market players, and better serve economic and social development. Thank you.

Li Xiaopeng:

Just now, Vice Minister Xu answered in detail the question regarding helping enterprises out of difficulties. We sincerely thank the Party Central Committee and the State Council for their great attention to the difficulties encountered by transportation enterprises. We also appreciate the concern and support of friends from all walks of life, including the media, for transportation enterprises facing difficulties. In the new year, under the leadership of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, we will continue to do a good job in assisting enterprises in resolving difficulties and achieving better development. Thank you.

CNR:

General Secretary Xi Jinping attaches great importance to the project to ensure rural roads are well built, managed, maintained, and operated. What new progress has been made in this regard? What measures will be taken in the future?

Li Xiaopeng:

Thank you for the questions about the project. It is a project General Secretary Xi Jinping has personally put forward and advanced to improve people's livelihoods, win the people's support, and govern for the people's benefits. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi has made important instructions on the project three times, emphasizing that not only should rural roads be built well, but they should also be managed, maintained, and operated well. General Secretary Xi also particularly emphasized that the project has achieved tangible results in recent years, bringing people and wealth to rural areas, especially poor areas, and consolidating the people's support for the Party at the grassroots level. General Secretary Xi's important instructions highlight his deep concern for the people and inject powerful impetus into our work on improving the construction, management, maintenance and operation of rural roads. Bearing in mind General Secretary Xi's important instructions, the Ministry of Transport has continuously promoted the high-quality development of the project. By the end of 2020, all the villages, townships, and towns with the right conditions were accessible by paved road and provided with bus routes, and rural areas are no longer troubled by poor road conditions. This is a feat of historical significance. The implementation of the project has strongly supported and guaranteed the victory of the critical battle against poverty and the completion of the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects. 

In 2022, we conscientiously implemented the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council. Throughout the year, the total fixed-asset investment in rural roads across the country reached 473.3 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 15.6%. Over 180,000 kilometers of rural roads were built or renovated, 10,589 dangerous rural bridges were reconstructed, and 135,000 kilometers of rural roads were reinforced to better protect vehicles and passengers under a road safety project. We also implemented 3,859 rural road projects in the form of work-for-relief, creating job opportunities for 78,000 rural laborers. In the field of rural road management and maintenance, approximately 800,000 jobs were created. By the end of 2022, the coverage rate of the road chief scheme for rural road management tasks in counties (cities, districts) had reached 98.7%, with the number of road chiefs totaling 671,000. More than 8,000 integrated routes for passenger, freight and mail transportation were opened. All these efforts have promoted the high-quality development of the project.

Going forward, we will thoroughly implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions, promote the high-quality development of the project, and accelerate the improvement of a modern rural transportation system, to better serve the overall promotion of rural revitalization and agricultural and rural modernization, and provide strong and effective service guarantees for achieving common prosperity for all. We plan to continue to promote five aspects of work in improving the construction, management, maintenance and operation of rural roads. First, we will conduct another round of rural road construction and renovation work. There are five major projects: upgrading the backbone road network, extending and improving the basic road network, enhancing safety guarantee capabilities, integrating industrial development, and improving service levels. Through these five major projects, we will accelerate the improvement of a convenient, efficient, inclusive, and equitable rural road network system.

Second, we will help rural people find local employment opportunities and increase their income. We all know that rural roads are transport infrastructure, and their construction attracts migrant workers, allowing farmers to get jobs nearby and increase their income. We must make greater efforts to promote jobs instead of giving grants and continuously increase rural road-related job opportunities.

Third, we will strengthen the management and maintenance of rural roads, improve specialization, mechanization and scale, and promote rural roads' digitalization and information management.

Fourth, we will continuously improve the service quality of rural roads. It is necessary to accelerate the construction of a three-tiered rural logistics system at village, township and county levels and further promote the integrated development of passenger, freight, and postal services, that is, the integrated development of rural passenger transport, rural freight transport, and rural express postal services. We will improve the service level by equalizing urban and rural transport access.

Fifth, we will promote the integrated development of rural roads. It is necessary to develop rural roads in tandem with the construction of supporting facilities, industrial parks, tourist attractions, and rural tourism along the way. In addition, it is necessary to vigorously develop the road derivative economy so that better roads can boost local economies, incomes and areas. Thank you.

Red Star News under Chengdu Economic Daily:

Expanding investment in transportation is an important measure to protect people's livelihoods and promote development, and it is also an effective tool to promote the stable growth of investment. What work has the MOT done in the past year to promote investment and steady growth, and what deployments has it made in the first year to fully implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress? Thank you.

Li Xiaopeng:

Thank you for your question about investment. Last year, national transportation fixed asset investment reached 3.8 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6%, contributing to economic development. This year we will maintain a high transportation fixed asset investment level and continue to contribute our share to the economic development. Next, let me give the floor to Mr. Xu Chengguang to elaborate on this question.

Xu Chengguang:

Transport infrastructure has characteristics such as large investment scale, fast implementation, sound, comprehensive benefits, and a solid driving effect. As you said, it is an important measure to protect people's livelihoods and promote development, and it is also one of the important areas for stabilizing growth and expanding employment. In 2022, the MOT will adhere to the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, fully implement policies for stabilizing the economy and follow-up policies and invest in transport infrastructure in a moderately advanced manner. As Mr. Li Xiaopeng introduced, asset investment exceeded 3.8 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of more than 6%, hitting a record high. Among them, the railway network received 710.9 billion yuan of investment in fixed assets, which was the same as the same period last year. The investment in fixed assets of highways was 2.9 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 9.7%. The investment in fixed assets of waterways was 167.9 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 10.9%. Investment in fixed assets in civil aviation exceeded 120 billion yuan, which was the same as the same period last year. It was not an easy year in 2022 for fixed asset investment in transportation to maintain a growth rate of more than 6%, keeping major economic indicators and operations within an appropriate range.

Last year, we focused primarily on three aspects of work:

First, we strengthened policy implementation. We formulated and issued policy documents aiming at expanding effective investment in transportation, including National Highway Network Planning and Opinions on Accelerating the Framework Construction of the National Comprehensive Three-dimensional Transportation Network. We also increased project reserves and preliminary work. We worked with the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Natural Resources and other relevant departments to make great efforts to solve problems such as land use and sea environment assessment for transportation projects, creating a good policy environment for expanding effective investment.

Second, we increased our efforts to promote projects. We focused on networking, supplementing the network, and reinforcing weak links in transportation. We implemented 11 major project packages, such as the National Expressway Major Corridors Connection Project , and accelerated the construction of the first batch of 16 major projects to build a country with a strong transport infrastructure. The spatial layout of the national comprehensive three-dimensional transportation network framework, consisting of six axes, seven corridors, and eight channels, came into shape. Several railways, highways, water transport and civil aviation projects were completed one after another. Regarding railways, we added 5,000 kilometers of operating range, including about 2,000 kilometers of high-speed railways. As for highways, about 70,000 kilometers of new highways were created, including about 8,000 kilometers of new expressways. Meanwhile, we added and improved 92 tonnage berths and approximately 800 kilometers of high-grade inland waterways. In terms of civil aviation, six new certified transport airports were added. Many key transportation projects, such as the Shenzhen-Zhongshan link, Sichuan-Tibet Railway and supporting highway projects, Chengdu-Lanzhou Railway, Pinglu Canal and other major projects of the Western Land-Sea New Corridor, Xiaoyangshan North Operation Area Container Terminal and supporting projects, and Nanning Airport T3 Terminal Area and supporting projects were advanced in an orderly manner. In 15 major cities, the first round of national comprehensive freight hub supplement and strengthening work was carried out, and a new round of rural road construction and renovation was launched. More than 180,000 kilometers of rural roads were rebuilt, representing a year-on-year increase of about 8%. About 13,800 dilapidated and old bridges were renovated, more than 20,000 kilometers of fine-tuning safety facilities were implemented, and more than 5,400 kilometers of disaster prevention and control projects were implemented.

Third, we raised construction funds from multiple sources. We have given full play to the leading role of central funds. In 2022, the central government arranged special funds of more than 340 billion yuan for road and waterway construction. We strived actively for local government special bonds to be used in transportation projects, strengthened cooperation with financial institutions, and gave full play to the role of policy-based development financial instruments and supporting credit financing to support transportation projects. We promoted the public-private partnership (PPP) model, steadily carried out pilot projects for infrastructure real estate investment trusts (REITs), and actively attracted social capital to participate in transportation construction.

This year, we will fully implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress, adhering to the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability. We will also actively expand effective investment in transportation and provide strong support for achieving an overall upturn in economic performance. First, we will continue to focus on networking, supplementing the network, strengthening weak links in the transportation chain, and accelerating the construction of key transportation projects. Second, we will strengthen financial and policy guarantees, effectively encouraging investment in the whole society through government investment and policy incentives. Third, we will increase pre-project work and project reserves, continuing to lay a solid foundation for expanding effective investment in transportation. Thank you.

Changjiang Daily:

Transport is the artery of the market economy and provides substantial support for serving and ensuring people's livelihoods. Over the past year, what practical work has the MOT undertaken to improve people's livelihoods and facilitate travel? Thank you.

Li Xiaopeng:

Thanks for your questions on the practical work concerning people's well-being . General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that the people's aspiration for a better life is what we are striving for. In fact, all of our work on transport directly affects people's well-being. Meeting people's expectations is an important goal for us. While doing our work on transportation, we select practical work concerning people's well-being each year and advance the implementation. Since 2015, this work has been carried forward for eight consecutive years. Last year, we put forward 12 pieces of practical work concerning people's well-being, all of which have been completed. In the future, we will continue to work on that. Next, Mr. Xu will give you a detailed introduction.

Xu Chengguang:

Let me elaborate further on that. Mr. Li mentioned that transport is essential to the country's stability and people's well-being; it serves hundreds of millions of people. Our work on transport is related to work in all fields. Over the years, the MOT has upheld the people-centered development philosophy. Since 2015, we have launched a series of practical work concerning people's well-being in the transport sector every year for eight consecutive years and developed a regular working mechanism to ensure that all the practical efforts we launch every year are fully implemented.

Last year, we came up with 12 pieces of practical work concerning people's well-being, all of which were accomplished. For example, to make travel safer in rural areas, we carried out a life protection project for rural highway safety, covering 135,000 kilometers of rural highways and reconstructing 13,800 dilapidated highway bridges. To facilitate the travel of elderly people, we created over 2,700 urban tram and bus routes with services that provide care and respect for the elderly and reconstructed over 9,500 urban tram and bus stops, continuously improving travel services for the convenience of senior citizens. To deal with limited parking availability at expressway service areas for trucks, we added 21,500 parking spaces for trucks at expressway service areas and built more than 400 service centers for drivers. To address the difficulties for crew members of international voyages to change shifts during epidemic prevention and control, we coordinated with multiple parties. We tried to gain their understanding and support. During that period, 170,000 shifts of crew members on international voyages were completed, resolving the problem of being able to embark but not disembark.

In addition, we completed a series of practical projects concerning people's well-being in regard to railways, civil aviation and postal services, providing all-round and multi-dimensional services for people's travel. Regarding railways, we revised the regulations for railway passenger traffic to allow more children to enjoy preferential policies based on the real-name-based ticket system. We prevented and controlled noise pollution on railways, such as the train whistle. Regarding civil aviation, we launched special campaigns to address the temporary cancellation of flights, with the number of flights canceled within 24 hours dropping from 16,000 in June 2022 to 6,000. We accelerated the application of whole-journey luggage tracking and provided whole-journey tracking for 2.317 million pieces of luggage on 67,000 flights. In terms of postal services, we fully implemented projects to roll out express delivery services in rural areas. As a result, 95% of administrative villages now have access to delivery services. Meanwhile, we worked to safeguard the rights and interests of couriers and built over 30,000 service centers for them, such as the "warm bee post house."

In 2023, we will focus on the most pressing, most immediate issues that concern the public the most. We will launch a series of new practical initiatives concerning people's well-being in the transport sector, including the "sunshine rescue" action on expressways, special action to care for truck drivers, a project to improve service capacity at ports, and measures to provide convenient waterway passenger services. With all these efforts, we will heed the public's concerns and strive to fulfill their aspirations. We will try to provide more considerate and heart-warming services for the people and employees in the transport sector, ensure easier movement of people and a smoother flow of goods, and help people feel more satisfied, happier, and more secure. Thank you.

Xing Huina:

Due to time constraints, we will have one last question.

CCTV:

Last year, on the first anniversary of the second United Nations Global Sustainable Transport Conference, the Global Innovation and Knowledge Center for Sustainable Transport was inaugurated. How will the MOT use this center as a platform to promote global transport cooperation? Thank you.

Li Xiaopeng:

Thanks to the reporter from CCTV for the question. General Secretary Xi Jinping attaches great importance to promoting global transport cooperation. On Oct. 14, 2021, he announced that China would set up a Global Innovation and Knowledge Center for Sustainable Transport in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the second United Nations Global Sustainable Transport Conference. On Oct. 14 last year, at the first anniversary of the conference, the center was inaugurated. General Secretary Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter on the center's establishment. In the congratulatory letter, he pointed out that China was ready to work with other countries to make full use of this platform to promote global transportation cooperation and contribute to advancing the Global Development Initiative, implementing the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and building a human community with a shared future.

Taking it as a top priority, the MOT has developed the center and implemented all the tasks. Here I announce that with the permission of the State Council, the MOT will hold the Global Forum for Sustainable Transport (2023) in Beijing from Sept. 25 to 26. The center will host the forum. During the forum, the 15th International Exhibition on Transport Technology and Equipment will also be held, and we will announce the establishment of a global coalition for sustainable transport innovations. During Sept. 25 and 26 this year, the forum, the exhibition, and the coalition will be launched together. Let me brief you on these events.

First, the forum will last for two days and will be held online and offline. The theme is "Sustainable Transport: working together to contribute to global development." The forum will focus on five topics based on the important "five principles" put forward by General Secretary Xi Jinping to advance global transport cooperation. It will host one plenary session, four themed meetings, one ministerial roundtable discussion, and relevant supporting events. Moreover, guests both at home and abroad will be invited. We aim to build a high-level official platform to advance global transport cooperation and contribute to implementing the Global Development Initiative.

Second, the 15th International Exhibition on Transport Technology and Equipment will take "innovation-driven development of global transport" as its theme. It will focus on new technologies, breakthroughs and achievements in areas including intelligent upgrades to transport infrastructure, research and the development of new transport equipment and intelligent transport operation and services. It will become a new platform for publicizing and promoting sustainable transport technologies, equipment, standards and experience.

Third, the global coalition for sustainable transport innovations will be jointly established by the center with Chinese and foreign enterprises and organizations. The coalition will include companies and institutions in the transportation, financial and scientific and technological sectors as founding members. The coalition is positioned to be an international and non-profit social organization for industrial purposes and aims to build a multi-level cooperation platform for governments, society and enterprises. The forum and exhibition will invite domestic and foreign government departments and enterprises, and public institutions to participate. Furthermore, we also welcome our friends from the media, especially those of you here today, to join and give coverage of the events. Thank you.

Xing Huina:

Today's briefing is at this moment concluded. Thanks to Mr. Li and Mr. Xu, as well as our friends from the media. Goodbye!

Translated and edited by Zhu Bochen, Wang Qian, Lin Liyao, Ma Yujia, Zhang Tingting, Huang Shan, Yan Xiaoqing, Wang Wei, Zhang Rui, Yuan Fang, Yan Bin, Li Huiru, Xu Kailin, Yang Xi, David Ball, Tom Arnsten, and Jay Birbeck. In case of any discrepancy between the English and Chinese texts, the Chinese version is deemed to prevail.