China’s total highway length is to exceed 3m km by 2020, an increase of 50 per cent from 2008, according to a plan released by the Ministry of Transport. Of the total, expressways will reach about 100,000km by 2020, up from 60,300km at the end of 2008, Xinhua reported.

The plan also said that by 2020, the annual cargo throughput of China’s coastal ports will rise to more than 6.5bn tonnes, from 4.4bn tonnes in 2008. Container throughput will reach 240m teu by 2020, up from 128m in 2008.