(Yicai Global) July 18 -- The total length of China's network of expressways now exceeds 130,000 kilometers, with 41,000 kilometers added since the end of 2012. The country ranks first globally in terms of the size of its network.

China's expressways cover almost 98 percent of cities with a population over 200,000, the Ministry of Transport of China said. At present, there are around 13,000 kilometers of highways under construction in China, of which the total length of sections under expansion is over 2,800 kilometers. Ren Jinxiong, an inspector at the Department of Comprehensive Planning for the Ministry of Transport estimates that by the end of the 13th National Five-year Plan, the main routes on the expressway network will be largely connected.

In recent years, the development of expressways in China has gained momentum. Investment is ever increasing, while projects related to key thoroughfares and major routes are under stable construction. Highway development has contributed significantly to the government's policy initiative of facilitating investment and stabilizing growth in response to national development and in-depth supply-side structural reform strategies, Jinxiong said. 

The central government allocated USD30.9 billion (CNY210 billion) in funding derived from the Vehicle Purchase Tax for the construction of national expressways from 2013 to 2016. Total investment in the development of expressways amounted to CNY3.1 trillion. China's Three Great Strategies policy, comprised of the One Belt, One Road, Beijing, Hebei and Tianjin integrated development, and Yangtze River economic belt development projects, will receive a significant boost as a series of new expressway sections enter operation and a large batch of expansion projects reach completion.