The overall level of infrastructure has improved by leaps and bounds

The overall level of infrastructure has improved by leaps and bounds

Major infrastructure construction is an important support for economic and social development, and has played a positive role in expanding effective investment and helping stabilize the economic market this year. On September 26, the National Development and Reform Commission held a special press conference on major infrastructure construction, introducing that since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the overall level of China's infrastructure has achieved a leapfrog improvement, which has effectively supported and guaranteed economic and social development.

The results of infrastructure development are palpable

From the completion and operation of major projects such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, Beijing Daxing International Airport, and the East-Central Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, to the "connecting roads to counties" and "connecting broadband to villages", the achievements of infrastructure construction can be seen. Zheng Jian, director of the Infrastructure Development Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, said that since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China has made historic achievements in the development of transportation, energy, water conservancy and new infrastructure.

The network level of facilities has been continuously improved. By the end of 2021, the total length of China's comprehensive transportation network will exceed 6 million kilometers, with 843,000 kilometers of 220-kilovolt or above power transmission lines and 54.81 million kilometers of optical cable lines, 1.3 times, 1.7 times and 3.7 times of that of 10 years ago, respectively. The scale of high-speed railways, expressways, power grids and 4G networks will rank first in the world for a long time.

Service quality capability continues to improve. More than 95 percent of cities with a population of more than one million are covered by high-speed railways; more than 98 percent of cities with a population of more than 200,000 are covered by expressways; and about 92 percent of prefecture-level cities are covered by civil transport airports. All established villages have access to hard-wired roads, broadband and direct postal services. The penetration rate of 4G and 5G users reached about 87 percent.

The ability to drive innovation has been significantly enhanced. The Beijing-Shanghai Trunk Line, the world's first quantum secure communication backbone, has been completed. The Jiquan ±1100 kV DC transmission project, which has the highest voltage level, the largest transmission capacity and the longest transmission distance in the world, has been successfully put into operation. China's Sky Eyes, fully superconducting Tokamak devices, and Shanghai Light Source have become world leaders.

Zheng Jian said that the next step will also accelerate the construction of a complete system, efficient and practical, intelligent green, safe and reliable modern infrastructure system, to lay a solid foundation for the comprehensive construction of a modern socialist country.

The prospects for new infrastructure investment are promising

The construction of new infrastructure is linked to expanding domestic demand and improving people's livelihood, as well as technological innovation and industrial development. It is of great practical significance to optimize the investment structure and create new demand with high-quality supply.

Zhang Zhihua, deputy director of the Innovation and high-tech Development Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, said that under the joint promotion of all sectors of society, China's new infrastructure construction has achieved initial results, and the overall can be summarized as three "accelerate".

Information infrastructure was upgraded at a faster pace. From the perspective of network facilities, mobile communication has changed from "4G and running" to "5G leadership", the application of next-generation Internet technology has accelerated, and the network scale and application level are leading the world. In terms of space facilities, a national civil space infrastructure system consisting of satellite remote sensing, satellite communication and broadcasting, and Beidou navigation and positioning systems has been initially established, with continuous and stable service capabilities.

Integration of infrastructure to accelerate the layout. The construction of three-dimensional intelligent transportation systems is accelerating, new forms of transportation such as unmanned docks and autonomous driving are emerging, more than 90% of airports have realized paperless convenient travel, and smart facilities are entering thousands of industries.

Innovation infrastructure is being optimized at a faster pace. China has built a relatively complete system of major science and technology infrastructure. Of the 77 national major science and technology infrastructure projects under construction, 32 have been completed and put into operation, with some facilities ranking first in the world.