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China will turn the main channel of the Yangtze River, China's longest river, into a safe, unblocked and effective waterway by launching a harnessing project in the upcoming 17 years.
The central government will allocate 16 billion yuan (1.9 billion US dollars) for the harnessing project, which is to start this year and be completed in 2020, the overseas edition of the People's Daily reported Saturday.
The project covers a total length of 2,838 km between the Shuifu Harbor in southwest China's Yunnan Province and the river'sestuary in Shanghai, China's leading industrial center. Stress of the harnessing project will be placed on 41 sections where shipping vessels used to get stranded.
Currently, the volume of freight of the Yangtze River accounts for 40 percent of the country's total inland river freight volume. However, the existing condition hampers fast growth of navigation on the Yangtze River.
(Xinhua News Agency April 12, 2003)
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