A total of 43 billion yuan (US$6.3 billion) will flow into upgrades to the Yangtze River in the next 11 years.

The money will pay for navigation improvements to the busiest waterway in China - work that will be completed by 2020, according to a news release from the river's administration.

The upgrades call for an extension to the river's deepwater navigation course, a widening of parts of the narrow channel in the middle reach and the purchase of maintenance facilities.

Unlike the ocean transportation industry, the inland shipping industry has not seen a slowing in volumes caused by the global economic downturn, said Wang Jianbin, a water transport official with the ministry.

"The projects of infrastructure construction to boost economic growth have placed more orders for steel, cement and other materials," Wang said. "Inland river transport has been used a lot to transport them."

Since 2000, the volume of cargo transported on the Yangtze River rose by 10 percent each year, official numbers show. Last year, the volume hit 1.2 billion tons, making the river the world's busiest-by-volume for a fourth consecutive year. The quantity is predicted to pass 1.8 billion tons a decade from now.

But Wang Qufa, a publicity official with the river's administration, said yesterday that the upgrades are needed to ensure the river continues to be used efficiently. For example, a shipping accident in a vulnerable part of the river could block the whole course.

The State Council approved an overall plan for the river's development recently, aimed at improving efficiency.

(China Daily?May 15, 2009)