Fixed-asset investment in China's transport sector maintained a high scale in 2024, reaching a total of 3.8 trillion yuan (about 528.27 billion U.S. dollars), according to a report released by the Ministry of Transport on Thursday.
The mileage of the main framework routes of the national comprehensive three-dimensional transportation network has exceeded 260,000 kilometers, with approximately 90 percent of the construction completed, according to the report.
In 2024, the coverage of China's rapid transportation network continued to expand, showed data in the report.
In terms of railways, a total of 2,457 kilometers of new high-speed rail lines were put into operation. The high-speed railway network, consisting of eight vertical and eight horizontal major lines, continued to grow. More than one-third of the provinces achieved high-speed rail access in all cities.
Meanwhile, the length of expressways increased by 7,032 kilometers, with more than two-thirds of the provinces having expressway access to every county.
At the same time, aviation services covered 92.6 percent of the prefecture-level administrative regions and 91.2 percent of the population across the country.
In addition, China's investment in rural road construction has remained above 400 billion yuan for eight consecutive years, and a total of 164,100 kilometers of rural roads were built or renovated in 2024, according to the report.
A total of 426,700 village-level postal service stations were established nationwide in 2024, an increase of 61,600. The supply of express delivery services in western regions such as Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia maintained continuous buildup, said the report.
China's fixed-asset transport investment hits 3.8 trl yuan in 2024
China closed 2025 with a record of 92 space launches and major breakthroughs were made in manned space launches, deep space exploration and commercial launches, according to the China National Space Administration.
"In 2025, we created a new launch record, sending more than 300 satellites into planned orbits. Both the number of launches and the number of payloads placed in orbit have achieved qualitative leapfrog development," said Zhu Haiyang, an engineer with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
In 2025, the Shenzhou-20 crew spent 204 days in orbit, setting a new record for the longest single mission duration in the history of China's manned space program. Following the Shenzhou-20, the Shenzhou-21 achieved the fastest rendezvous and docking in the history of the Shenzhou mission in just three hours and a half.
Facing an unexpected technical situation with the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft, China immediately activated emergency plans. Within 16 days, a series of maneuvers were accomplished including the launch of the Shenzhou-22 backup vehicle, presenting a "textbook model" for the international space community in effectively responding to unexpected emergencies.
In deep space exploration, the Tianwen-2 probe embarked on its journey for China's first asteroid exploration and sample-return mission in 2025.
Last year also saw intensive launch activities from multiple commercial rocket types, injecting strong momentum into the country's commercial space development.
As China has kicked off the first year of its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030), a new blueprint for the country's space program is unfolding. Multiple tests are planned in preparation for future lunar exploration, as Chang'e-7 lunar probe is scheduled to be launched for the lunar south pole to search for evidence of water ice. The industry is also preparing for the maiden flights of several new rocket types, which will include the challenges to test rocket recovery and reusability technologies.
China closes 2025 with record 92 space launches
