China seeks 95% backbone completion of transport network by 2030

China’s government announced that its national comprehensive transport network now exceeds 6 million km, with the main “6‑axis‑7‑corridor‑8‑channel” backbone built to 91% capacity. The 15th Five‑Year Plan targets raising this backbone to 95% by 2030, alongside an 8‑million‑km upgrade of existing infrastructure and extensive digital modernization.

Key initiatives include four corridor groups: coastal‑border‑river routes, border‑to‑Tibet lines, western land‑sea corridors, and cross‑river/coast/sea links such as the Shanghai‑Ningbo sea tunnel. The plan calls for new high‑speed rail, upgraded national highways (e.g., G219, G331, G228), the Long‑Yang inland waterway, and the Three‑Gorges water‑transport channel. Multi‑modal logistics will be strengthened, with a goal to boost the 1‑hour freight‑transfer rate at hubs to over 85% and to establish roughly 1,000 multimodal nodes.

Logistics cost is slated to fall to 13.9% of GDP, with the transport sector contributing around 70% of the reduction. Digital and smart technologies—intelligent driving trucks, unmanned delivery, and integrated platforms—will support efficiency gains. By 2030 the plan aims to cultivate about 100 leading integrated logistics enterprises and to upgrade 30‑plus major freight hubs.

Overall, the strategy is positioned to lower logistics expenses, improve regional balance, and reinforce China’s status as a transport‑strong nation.