Transport Ministry to accelerate Yangtze River navigational upgrade
CHINA's Ministry of Transport has signed an agreement with seven provinces and two cities along the Yangtze River on acceleration of a general upgrade to enable smoother traffic, Xinhua reports.
The Yangtze is the only waterway that runs through the east, central and the west of China, thus Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Chongqing, Sichuan, Yunnan through which the river flows, contribute 40 per cent of the national economy and 31 per cent of China's trade volume.
Cargo traffic on the mainstream of Yangtze River accounts for 60 per cent of the national river cargo traffic volume.
Transport Minister Yang Chuantang said rapid development of Yangtze has already accelerated the exchange of resources and know-how between regions, which in return has accelerated economic with river transport becoming the foundation of a new round of restructurings and optimisations of regional economies.
But Yangtze infrastructure is falling behind, and now blocking improved use of the river's potential. Navigational channels capable of handling of 1,000 tonnes vessels amount to only 7.2 per cent of the river's length, much lower than that of the Mississippi which can boast of 66 per cent in the 1,000-tonne class.
Yang Chuantang said the government will speed up the development of river transport and make sure average tonnage of cargo ships top 2,000 tonnes on the mainstream of Yangtze River and 1,200 tonnes on the branches.
China has been picking up the pace in river traffic development. Deputy Transport Minister He Jianzhong said the country spent about CNY3 trillion (US$490 billion) on road and waterway traffic infrastructures from 2011 to 2012 with an average increase of 4.8 per cent yearly. Investment on rivers totalled CNY88.8 billion, increasing at 21 per cent per year. In the early half of 2013, China spent CNY25 billion on river traffic projects, 18 per cent more than in the first half of 2012.
According to the previously issued plan by the Ministry of Transport, by 2020 China will finish building of 19,000 kilometres' high-level navigational channels. Those of level three and above will total to 14,000 kilometres. The national river cargo traffic will increase to more than three billion tonnes, while cargo turnover will rise to above one trillion tonnes per kilometre.
CHINA's Ministry of Transport has signed an agreement with seven provinces and two cities along the Yangtze River on acceleration of a general upgrade to enable smoother traffic, Xinhua reports.
The Yangtze is the only waterway that runs through the east, central and the west of China, thus Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Chongqing, Sichuan, Yunnan through which the river flows, contribute 40 per cent of the national economy and 31 per cent of China's trade volume.
Cargo traffic on the mainstream of Yangtze River accounts for 60 per cent of the national river cargo traffic volume.
Transport Minister Yang Chuantang said rapid development of Yangtze has already accelerated the exchange of resources and know-how between regions, which in return has accelerated economic with river transport becoming the foundation of a new round of restructurings and optimisations of regional economies.
But Yangtze infrastructure is falling behind, and now blocking improved use of the river's potential. Navigational channels capable of handling of 1,000 tonnes vessels amount to only 7.2 per cent of the river's length, much lower than that of the Mississippi which can boast of 66 per cent in the 1,000-tonne class.
Yang Chuantang said the government will speed up the development of river transport and make sure average tonnage of cargo ships top 2,000 tonnes on the mainstream of Yangtze River and 1,200 tonnes on the branches.
China has been picking up the pace in river traffic development. Deputy Transport Minister He Jianzhong said the country spent about CNY3 trillion (US$490 billion) on road and waterway traffic infrastructures from 2011 to 2012 with an average increase of 4.8 per cent yearly. Investment on rivers totalled CNY88.8 billion, increasing at 21 per cent per year. In the early half of 2013, China spent CNY25 billion on river traffic projects, 18 per cent more than in the first half of 2012.
According to the previously issued plan by the Ministry of Transport, by 2020 China will finish building of 19,000 kilometres' high-level navigational channels. Those of level three and above will total to 14,000 kilometres. The national river cargo traffic will increase to more than three billion tonnes, while cargo turnover will rise to above one trillion tonnes per kilometre.