China is building an efficient transportation network in line with international standards. In recent years, the country's integrated three-dimensional transportation infrastructure has improved significantly in both scale and quality.
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China has embarked on a new path towards becoming a transportation power. It has put more emphasis on the optimization of its transportation layouts, network quality and efficiency, the elimination of bottlenecks, and the improvement of the capacity and connectivity of international transport corridors.
Land transportation network
The ever-advancing lattice of railways and roadways in China forms a multi-layered traffic network extending in all directions.
(1) Railways
By the end of 2022, China's rail network had grown to 155,000 kilometers. In 2022, passenger volume hit 1.61 billion trips and railway haulage achieved 3.9 billion tons. China is one of the few countries in the world equipped with high-speed railways, and is leading in high-speed rail construction with operational high-speed rail mileage increasing each year. In 2022, the figure reached 42,000 kilometers.
(2) Highways
By the end of 2022, the total mileage of highways in China had reached 5.35 million kilometers and the mileage of expressways had reached 177,000 kilometers. In 2022, China's road passenger turnover was 240.75 billion person-kilometers; its road freight turnover stood at 3,590.65 billion ton-kilometers. The rapid development of road infrastructure has significantly improved the country's road traffic capacity, transport efficiency, and logistics development.
Aviation network
An Air China plane takes off from Beijing Daxing International Airport. [Photo by Zou Hong/chinadaily.com.cn]
As of 2022, there were 254 transportation airports in China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan). The passenger throughput reached 520 million (some passengers enjoyed the relevant services more than once, the same below) and the cargo and mail throughput hit 14.53 million tons for civil aviation airports across China. There are 18 transportation airports with an annual passenger throughput of more than 10 million, and 51 transportation airports with an annual cargo and mail throughput of more than 10,000 tons.
In 2022, China saw 4,670 regular flight paths, including 4,334 domestic routes, with 27 to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and 336 international routes. There were 249 cities (or regions) with regular flights (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) in China. Airlines had scheduled flights to 77 cities in 50 countries. There were scheduled flights from 20 cities in the Chinese mainland to Hong Kong, five to Macao and seven to the Taiwan region. China had signed 191 bilateral air transport agreements with other countries or regions as of the end of 2022.
China will speed up the development of a national comprehensive airport system with a world-class cluster of airports, establishing international aviation hubs as the key component, regional hubs as the mainstay, and non-hub airports and general airports as important supplements. The number of air carrier airports will reach about 400. Emphasis will be laid on the four world-class clusters of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and the Chengdu-Chongqing region respectively. The 10 international aviation hubs will be consolidated, and the development of four international air cargo hubs, namely, Zhengzhou, Tianjin, Hefei, and Ezhou, promoted. Plans will also be laid out for about 40 regional aviation hubs, so as to build an air transportation network accessible from all directions all over the world.
Shipping network
China has gradually improved the class and increased the mileage and harbor capacities of its inland waterways. It ranks first in terms of seaport connectivity across the world. As of the end of 2022, China's inland waterway had a navigable mileage of 128,000 kilometers with 16,000 kilometers of third-class waterways and above, and 2,751 berths with a handling capacity of 10,000 tons and above.
Communication infrastructure and network coverage
China has built up a strong information communication industry from scratch. The country's communication infrastructure and capacity for independent innovation have both improved significantly.
China has already established the world's largest 4G network, with more than 99 percent of administrative villages currently connected by optical fiber. Meanwhile, China is steadily advancing the construction of its 5G infrastructure and 5G commercial applications.
China's 5G base stations exceeded 2.31 million at the end of 2022, accounting for 60 percent of the global total, including about 887,000 built in 2022. 5G mobile network users reached 561 million, accounting for one third of China's mobile phone users
China will keep strengthening its basic network facilities featuring gigabit fixed and mobile network, improving universal telecommunications services, and vigorously promoting application and innovation.
