By Shangguan Zhoudong (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2007-08-10 18:00

The Ministry of Communications (MOC) issued a long-term plan to boost highway and waterway development through preferential taxation and bank loans, the China Securities News reported August 9.

The ministry plans to establish a stable highway and waterway construction fund by using government securities, road maintenances, transportation surcharges, and other special fees.

The MOC also urged local governments to support construction of ports and set up special funds for inland waterways.

Meanwhile, the length of bank loans for development of highways and waterways in Northeast China will be expanded, according to the plan.

The ministry predicted that, by 2020, total volume of cargo transported by highway and waterway will reach 110 billion and 381 billion ton-kilometers, up 130 and 230 percent respectively from current figures.

Total passenger traffic will likely hit 100 billion passenger- kilometers by 2020, 2.2 times of that at present, according to the MOC.

Traffic volumes between Beijing and Shenyang will surpass 170,000 cars per day while between Harbin and Dalian volume will exceed 120,000 cars per day. The handling capacity of the Dalian port will reach 40,000 tons per day.

By 2020, the total length of highways thoughout Northeast China will reach 240,000 kilometers and freeways will cover all cities at the prefecture level, with a total length of 9,000 kilometers.

The throughput capacities of ports in Northeast China are expected to reach 750 million tons, and handing capacities of container terminals to reach 27 million twenty-foot equivalent units by 2020.