China plans to add 200,000 kilometers of highway to its existing
road network of 1.4 million kilometers by the end of 2005, according
to Vice-Minister of Communications Hu Xijie.
Once the projects
are completed, China's road length per 100 square kilometers
will reach 16.7 kilometers, Hu said.
"More than
half of our investment will be devoted to the country's western
regions to help the area better develop its opportunities,"
Hu said.
During the 10th
Five-Year Plan period (2001-05), 80,000 kilometers of highway
will be constructed in China's western regions, extending
the regions' total road length to 650,000 kilometers.
Hu indicated that
the Ministry of Communications plans to invest 700 to 800
billion yuan (US$84.6 to 96.7 billion) in the next 10 years
to build road networks in the area.
Hu said his ministry
is confident the plan will produce high-quality construction
projects.
"We will strictly
abide by the Bidding Law when allocating our construction
projects. Nobody can take advantage of their positions to
secure illicit gains for companies and individuals,"
Hu said in a press briefing.
"Road experts,
instead of local officials, will dictate the authorization
process of bidding, and officials can only serve as supervisors
to those projects," Hu said.
Special inspection
teams, deployed by the ministry, will also oversee some of
the larger projects to guarantee fair play.
Hu admitted that
corruption was uncovered involving past road construction
projects, but said those cases were "extremely minor."
Zhang Chunxian,
another vice-minister of the ministry who attended the press
conference, said the ministry will open its water transportation
market as of May 1.
"The opening
process will be carried out step by step, though the country's
pending WTO entry may push the steps to happen faster,"
Zhang said.
He indicated that
China will open transports along all major rivers, including
the Yangtze and Yellow rivers, in the near future if China
is granted a smooth entry into WTO.
Zhang said his
ministry has decided to build Shanghai into a major deep-water
port throughout the next five years, with the hope that it
develops into an international shipping center.
In addition to
Shanghai, Dalian, Tianjin, Qingdao and Shenzhen will also
undergo renovations or upgrades to become modern deep-water
ports by 2005.
Zhang said China
welcomes overseas companies to join the bidding process of
harbor construction.
"All the harbors
will be open to overseas investors under China's related investment
regulations," Zhang said.
(China Daily 03/30/2001)
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