China is set to further improve rural roads, focusing on connectivity, safety, and transportation while fostering industrial growth and job creation in rural areas, a senior official from the Ministry of Transport said Friday.
Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, Li Yang, Vice Minister of Transport, highlighted that the initiative will prioritize upgrading the rural road network, with an emphasis on integrating rural transportation with local industries and tourism.
"The focus will be on upgrading the major rural road network, improving fast access routes connecting towns and key economic hubs to external transportation networks in line with Grade III standards or higher. Efforts will also target advancing the 'rural road plus' model, accelerating the development of roads for various industries, tourism, and resource transportation, while further promoting integrated development with the tourism and energy sectors," Li said, referring to Grade III roads, a type of road in China characterized by few central median strips and lower speed limits.
Li also stressed that the ministry will prioritize road construction for larger rural communities, focusing on paving roads in natural villages and building roads for administrative villages that meet national or ministry standards.
Additionally, the ministry plans to accelerate the renovation of aging roads, expand narrow rural roads, and construct passing bays.
The initiative will also focus on improving roadside infrastructure, providing a range of services such as parking, shopping, tourism, and electric vehicle charging stations.
During the construction and maintenance of transportation infrastructure, the ministry will continue to promote work-for-relief programs to create employment opportunities.
In 2023, a total of 3,946 rural road projects were implemented by adopting the work-for-relief model, creating nearly 96,000 jobs, including about 13,600 for people from poverty-stricken households.
"In addition to expanding job opportunities, efforts are also being made to enhance skills training for workers, ensuring they are well-matched to job requirements. Currently, around 850,000 jobs have been created in the rural road management and maintenance sector," said the vice minister.
The press conference also saw the release of a white paper titled "China's Rural Roads in the New Era", introducing the achievements and vision of rural road development in the new era and sharing China's experience.
According to the white paper, the total length of rural roads reached 4.6 million km by the end of 2023, an increase of 21.7 percent over 2013, enough to circle the equator 115 times.
It also noted that the country has put in place a rural transport infrastructure network in which county roads connect rural and urban areas, township roads crisscross, and village roads facilitate travel between households and farmland.
Besides, the construction and development of rural roads provides strong support for the comprehensive development of the rural economy and society in China.
China to launch new round of rural road upgrades
