China should place more emphasis on environmentally sustainable transport systems that can help reduce its heavy reliance on oil, according to a new Asian Development Bank publication.

China has made great advances in transport infrastructure over the past few decades, with its highway system growing nearly 300 per cent in 26 years, air passenger traffic in kilometres travelled tripling in size from 1995 to 2006, and its rail network growing 45 per cent since 1980.

At the same time, according to the publication, it has become the world’s fastest-growing oil consumer, with 35 per cent of the total consumed going into road transport alone as private motor vehicle use soared in step with rising personal incomes. As a result, the transport sector now accounts for around 7 per cent of China’s greenhouse gas emissions, up from 5.4 per cent in 1990. By 2030, the proportion is expected to rise to 11 per cent of the nation’s emissions.
Among recommended actions are a national transportation fund to focus on sustainable transport development; faster implementation of a fuel tax that discourages excessive motor vehicle use; more investment and regulatory reform for railways; special funds to develop inland waterways, and campaigns to promote the use of public transport.