Cargo transport gathers speed on Yangtze River
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-02-04 09:16

Cargo transportation along the Yangtze River, the world's busiest waterway, will soon be gathering speed by way of 10 billion yuan (1.25 billion U.S. dollars) of planned investment over the next five years.

Tang Guanjun, director of the Yangtze River Navigation Affairs Administration, said the national budget of 1.7 billion yuan (212 million U.S. dollars) had resulted in a comprehensive clearance of the waterway over the last five years, which has paved the way for the lift of navigation speed in the next development stage.

Cargo transportation on the Yangtze river reached 795 million tons last year, making it one of the world's busiest inland rivers, official statistics show. The annual cargo volume transported along China's longest river is nine times the amount handled by China's north-south railway trunk line.

However, most parts of the river are still in their natural state, with dangerous shoals creating bottlenecks, said Tang, when referring to the five-year building plan of the waterway.

The waterway, which flows into the East China Sea, is playing an increasingly crucial role in economic growth in the river valley and has become a vital link for international shipping to the inland provinces.