China weaves stronger transport networks in 14th Five-Year Plan period

A staff member works at the construction site of Shituo Yangtze River Bridge along the Chongqing-Wanzhou high-speed railway in Chongqing, southwest China, May 28, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

Over the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), China has woven a more integrated and multidimensional transport network, making sweeping progress that has enhanced connectivity and underpinned economic growth.

By the end of 2024, six out of 17 major transport targets set in the plan had been achieved ahead of schedule, including expressway and urban rail lengths, access to express parcel delivery in villages, and the share of new energy buses in urban public transport, Minister of Transport Liu Wei told a press conference on Monday.

The remaining targets are expected to be achieved by the end of this year, the minister added.

Liu noted that over the past five years, China's transport sector has achieved "historic progress," with over 90 percent of the core framework of the national comprehensive transport network already in place.

Behind this progress is robust investment. From 2021 to 2024, fixed-asset investment in transport totaled 15.2 trillion yuan (about 2.1 trillion U.S. dollars), a 23.3 percent increase from the previous cycle.

Integrated connectivity

Stretching across land, sea and sky, China's transport networks have evolved into vital arteries powering the country's modernization.

By the end of 2024, China's railway network had reached 162,000 km in total operating length, an increase of about 16,000 km from the end of 2020. Of this, high-speed rail expanded by 10,000 km to exceed 48,000 km, covering 97 percent of cities with populations over 500,000.

Highways stretched to 5.49 million km, up 290,000 km from five years earlier. Expressways accounted for 191,000 km, covering 99 percent of cities with a population of over 200,000.

Certified civil airports increased to 263 by the end of 2024, 22 more than in 2020, Liu said, adding that air services now cover over 91 percent of the country's population.

In urban commuting, a diversified public transport system has provided strong support for daily mobility. Each day, about 100 million urban trips are made by rail, 100 million by bus, and 100 million by taxis and ride-hailing services. These figures highlight the capacity and vitality of China's urban transport system, Liu said.

Smart tools like online ticketing and digital payments have made travel more efficient and accessible, Liu said, adding that over 80 hub cities support air-rail intermodal transport.

Bridging gaps

Improved transport and logistics are enhancing access across rural and less-developed areas, bringing services, markets and new opportunities within reach.

As of end-2024, rural roads reached 4.64 million km, and over 30,000 townships and 500,000 administrative villages have been connected by paved roads, Liu said.

"The last mile of rural roads is now accessible by cars," the minister said, adding that rural roads are fueling the growth of new industries and tourism, creating local jobs, and raising farmers' incomes.

Express delivery services have also played an increasingly important role in narrowing gaps. China has built a three-tier logistics system linking counties, townships and villages, turning rural delivery weak points into engines of consumption and growth, Zhao Chongjiu, head of the State Post Bureau, said at the press conference.

In 2024, express delivery volumes in central and western China rose by 30 percent and 34 percent, respectively, outpacing the national average, Zhao noted.

In regions such as Qinghai and Gansu, newly launched mail and courier processing centers have significantly improved handling capacity, enhancing logistics infrastructure in western China, he added.

Global links

China has expanded its global transport network over the past years, boosting connectivity and driving cross-border trade and cooperation.

The China-Europe freight trains have carried out over 110,000 trips, and nearly 10,000 sea-rail intermodal trains were operated annually along the new western land-sea corridor, Liu said.

Since its launch over three years ago, the China-Laos Railway has transported 13.9 million tonnes of cargo across more than 3,000 product categories, accelerating the delivery of a wider range of Southeast Asian agricultural products to Chinese consumers.

China's global air freight is also on the rise. Driven by booming e-commerce, international air cargo volume reached nearly 9 million tonnes in 2024, up 32.8 percent over 2020.

China has been pushing for greater connectivity through the alignment of rules and regulations. It has signed over 270 bilateral and multilateral transport agreements covering rail, road, sea, air and postal sectors, according to Liu.

China has also used international cooperation projects to deliver tangible benefits to local communities. For example, the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway has created over 74,000 jobs in Kenya, with a localization rate exceeding 90 percent and more than 2,800 railway professionals trained, Liu said.

Looking ahead, China will accelerate the building of a strong transportation network through deeper integration, enhanced safety, smart upgrades and green transformation to support the country's modernization drive, Liu added.