Once the projects are completed, China's road length per 100 square kilometers will reach 16.7 kilometers, Hu said.

"More than half of our investment will be devoted to the country's western regions to help the area better develop its opportunities," Hu said.

During the 10th Five-Year Plan period (2001-05), 80,000 kilometers of highway will be constructed in China's western regions, extending the regions' total road length to 650,000 kilometers.

Hu indicated that the Ministry of Communications plans to invest 700 to 800 billion yuan (US$84.6 to 96.7 billion) in the next 10 years to build road networks in the area.

Hu said his ministry is confident the plan will produce high-quality construction projects.

"We will strictly abide by the Bidding Law when allocating our construction projects. Nobody can take advantage of their positions to secure illicit gains for companies and individuals," Hu said in a press briefing.

"Road experts, instead of local officials, will dictate the authorization process of bidding, and officials can only serve as supervisors to those projects," Hu said.

Special inspection teams, deployed by the ministry, will also oversee some of the larger projects to guarantee fair play.

Hu admitted that corruption was uncovered involving past road construction projects, but said those cases were "extremely minor."

Zhang Chunxian, another vice-minister of the ministry who attended the press conference, said the ministry will open its water transportation market as of May 1.

"The opening process will be carried out step by step, though the country's pending WTO entry may push the steps to happen faster," Zhang said.

He indicated that China will open transports along all major rivers, including the Yangtze and Yellow rivers, in the near future if China is granted a smooth entry into WTO.

Zhang said his ministry has decided to build Shanghai into a major deep-water port throughout the next five years, with the hope that it develops into an international shipping center.

In addition to Shanghai, Dalian, Tianjin, Qingdao and Shenzhen will also undergo renovations or upgrades to become modern deep-water ports by 2005.

Zhang said China welcomes overseas companies to join the bidding process of harbor construction.

"All the harbors will be open to overseas investors under China's related investment regulations," Zhang said.

(China Daily March 30, 2000)