<p>The freeway network will cover all cities with a population of at least 200,000, while high-speed railways will link cities with more than 500,000 residents, Wu Xiao, the official at the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), was quoted as saying by China Daily.<br /><br />"The government has eased transport capacity pressures and virtually solved many problems regarding economic and social development," Wu said at a regional workshop on transport infrastructure in Beijing jointly held by the central government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). <br /><br />China's annual investment in transport fixed assets and highway construction now exceeds 1.1 trillion yuan (about $165 billion), the daily said. <br /><br />"Although China has made great improvements in transport development, transport in western areas is still underdeveloped," said Li Yong, deputy minister of finance. <br /><br />The next five years of 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) is a critical period for China to promote transport infrastructure construction together with other Asian countries, he added.</p>
<p>The freeway network will cover all cities with a population of at least 200,000, while high-speed railways will link cities with more than 500,000 residents, Wu Xiao, the official at the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), was quoted as saying by China Daily.<br /><br />"The government has eased transport capacity pressures and virtually solved many problems regarding economic and social development," Wu said at a regional workshop on transport infrastructure in Beijing jointly held by the central government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). <br /><br />China's annual investment in transport fixed assets and highway construction now exceeds 1.1 trillion yuan (about $165 billion), the daily said. <br /><br />"Although China has made great improvements in transport development, transport in western areas is still underdeveloped," said Li Yong, deputy minister of finance. <br /><br />The next five years of 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) is a critical period for China to promote transport infrastructure construction together with other Asian countries, he added.</p>