Transport ministry makes call for investment

The Ministry of Transport has called for promoting effective investments in the sector, urging work resumption on major projects to meet the country's annual investment goals on traffic networks.

Fan Zhenyu, deputy director of the ministry's comprehensive planning department, said at a Tuesday news conference: "Transportation investment has always been an important part of infrastructure investment. The ministry attaches great importance to it, and will vigorously promote effective investment in the sector."

The ministry will push forward the resumption of a batch of construction projects in line with the country's development strategies, he said at a news conference.

Nearly 39 percent of the country's railway projects previously under construction have restarted, as well as 37.2 percent of highway and waterway projects worth over 1 billion yuan and 25.9 percent of the civil aviation facilities, he said, adding the ministry will fast-track a number of new construction projects as well.

Fan also said transport authorities will adopt electronic bidding systems to ensure a normal and orderly project bidding process.

China planned to spend at least 2.7 trillion yuan on transport infrastructure projects in 2020, including 800 billion yuan on railways, 1.8 trillion yuan on roads and waterways and 90 billion yuan on civil aviation facilities, according to the ministry.