The Chinese government will spend 17.5 billion yuan this year on building rural roads, said sources with the National Reform and Development Commission (NDRC) on Wednesday.

A total of 9.6 billion would go to the east and central China areas where China plans to build 96,000 kilometers of roads this year with a total investment of 27.4 billion yuan, said NDRC.

According to the plan, 23,200 kilometers of roads will be built in the rural areas of western China at an investment of 17.6 billion yuan. Of that amount, 7.9 billion yuan would come from the central government.

China has adopted the policy of building a new socialist countryside and will start road improvement project in rural areas this year.

(Xinhua News Agency June 8, 2006)