China will build 40,000 kilometres of highway next year, among which 62 percent are to constructed in western China, according to Ministry of Communications (MOC) on Monday.

MOC Minister Huang Zhendong said the major focus for next year's work is to input heavy funds on perfecting the country's artery national highways, eight inter-provincial highways and on building bitumen roads linking all counties.

Among the designed highway length, 25,000 kilometres will be expressways, he said.

China invested 260 billion yuan (US$31.33 billion) on highway projects this year, an all-time high, Huang said.

The amount of investment for highway projects in western China increased by 23 percent in the first eleven months of this year over the year-earlier period.

So far, construction of eight key inter-province highways has started.

( People's Daily December 25, 2001)