China to build modern integrated transport system during 15th Five-Year Plan period

China will continue to develop a modern integrated transport system during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), with a focus on building a high-quality national transport network, Xu Chengguang, vice minister of transport, said at a press conference on Tuesday.

In terms of optimizing infrastructure layout, Xu said China will accelerate the construction of major cross-regional and cross-basin transport corridors, aiming to raise the completion rate of the national comprehensive three-dimensional transport network's main framework to 95%.

The country will continue improving infrastructure networks covering railways, highways, waterways, civil aviation and postal services, while accelerating the development of logistics networks, said Xu.

By 2030, China's transport infrastructure will achieve broader coverage, deeper accessibility and stronger international connectivity, with express, trunk and basic transport networks becoming more efficient and coordinated, he added.

China will also prioritize the upgrading of transport infrastructure and digital transformation, with around 80,000 kilometers of facilities planned for renovation by 2030. A new round of rural road improvement projects will also be launched, involving the construction and upgrading of 500,000 kilometers of rural roads.

In addition, efforts will be made to improve integrated transport systems in metropolitan areas, enhance intercity commuting efficiency, and accelerate the development of 20 international and 80 national comprehensive transport hub cities.

The country also plans to strengthen multimodal transport by addressing bottlenecks and improving logistics efficiency, with about 1,000 major freight nodes expected to enhance their multimodal transport capabilities over the next five years.

China's 6-million-kilometer transport network

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), China made significant progress in building its comprehensive transport network, with the total mileage of the national integrated three-dimensional transport network exceeding 6 million kilometers, said Xu, adding that the completion rate of the main framework of six transportation axes, seven corridors and eight channels reached 91%.

By the end of 2025, China's operating high-speed railway mileage surpassed 50,000 kilometers, highway mileage in operation reached 199,000 kilometers, and the number of port berths capable of handling vessels of 10,000 tonnes or above reached 3,061. The country also expanded its civil aviation infrastructure, with 270 transport airports in operation.

China has also built the world's largest delivery network, serving the largest number of people globally, said Xu.