China will build and renovate 770,000 kilometers of urban underground pipelines during the 15th Five-Year Plan period from 2026 to 2030, an official said at a press conference in Beijing on Monday.
The country's existing urban underground pipelines run a total length of 3.9 million kilometers, with the total built up utility tunnels running 7,700 kilometers, said Chen Shaopeng, director of the building energy efficiency and sci-tech department at the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.
This year, China is mulling multi-trillion-yuan investment through a "Six Networks" initiative, as the country works to expand domestic demand and stabilize economic growth, with the "Six Networks" including water networks, new-type power grids, computing power networks, next-generation communication networks, urban underground pipeline networks and logistics networks.
As one of the "Six Networks," urban underground pipeline networks comprises of gas, water supply, drainage, sewage, heating pipelines and utility tunnels.
Chen said, during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, China plans to build and renovate 200,000 kilometers of gas pipelines, 175,000 kilometers each of drainage and water supply pipelines, 100,000 kilometers of sewage pipelines, and 120,000 kilometers of heating pipelines.
"[We will] advance the construction and renovation of urban drainage facilities, including drainage pipes and canals, pumping stations, flood discharge channels, storage facilities and smart platforms. For water supply networks, the focus is on upgrading aging and damaged city water distribution pipes. As for gas pipeline networks, the priority is renovating pipelines with outdated materials and serious corrosion. For heating networks, the focus is on carrying out the urban heating 'warmth project' and accelerating the renovation of aging heating pipelines and inefficient heat exchange stations," said Chen.
Guan Peng, director of the Department of Fixed Asset Investment with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), said at the press conference that the NDRC and the Ministry have actively supported underground pipeline projects through ultra-long special treasury bonds.
"In 2026, a fund of 160 billion yuan (about 23.6 billion U.S. dollars) in [ultra-long special treasury bond] has been arranged, 25 billion yuan more than the previous year, to [actively] support the construction and renovation of urban underground pipeline networks, including gas, drainage, water supply and heating," said Guan.
Alongside physical construction and renovation, relevant departments will strengthen digital monitoring of urban infrastructure, enabling real-time supervision, dynamic risk alerts and rapid emergency response.
China to build, renovate 770,000 km of urban underground pipelines
China to build, renovate 770,000 km of urban underground pipelines
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, said on Monday that the relationship between China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) stands at a new historical starting point.
Xi arrived in the DPRK capital of Pyongyang earlier on Monday to begin a two-day state visit at the invitation of Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK, marking his first trip to the country in seven years.
Delivering a speech at a welcome banquet hosted by Kim, Xi pointed out that China and the DPRK, linked by mountains and rivers and sharing a common future, have seen their traditional friendship passed down across generations and grow ever stronger over time through the test of the evolving international landscape.
This year marks the 65th anniversary of the China-DPRK Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, and the China-DPRK relationship stands at a new historical starting point, Xi said, noting that he has reached important consensus with Kim during his visit.
From the strategic perspective of the future and destiny of socialism, both leaders have agreed to seize the general trend of the times, respond to the shared aspirations of the two peoples, strengthen high-level exchanges, deepen strategic communication, expand practical cooperation, enhance people-to-people bonds, promote the high-level development of China-DPRK relations, jointly open up brighter prospects for the socialist cause of both countries, and contribute to the continuous progress of human society, Xi said.
The successful convening of the Ninth Congress of the WPK this year has made strategic plans and major arrangements for the long-term development of the Party and the country's cause, ushering in a new period of comprehensive development of the DPRK's socialist cause, Xi said.
As good neighbors, good friends and good comrades, the Chinese side sincerely wishes that, under the strong leadership of the Central Committee of the WPK headed by General Secretary Kim, the DPRK people will successfully accomplish the goals and tasks set by the Ninth Congress of the WPK and make constant new achievements in the socialist cause of the DPRK, Xi said.
On behalf of the WPK, the government and the people of the DPRK, Kim extended the warmest welcome to Xi on his visit. Kim said that Pyongyang was filled with an atmosphere of friendship on this special day as the DPRK's Party, government and people warmly welcomed their most distinguished guest.
Noting that Xi's first overseas trip of the year had brought him to the DPRK, Kim said this fully demonstrated the great importance Xi attached to developing relations between the two parties and the two countries, and constituted the most valuable support for the DPRK's socialist cause.
Noting the meeting with Xi came nine months after their previous meeting, Kim said that during this meeting, they reached important consensus on further advancing DPRK-China relations with new contemporary connotations in light of new changing circumstances, and exchanged views on international and regional issues of mutual concern, which will surely accelerate the development of the DPRK-China friendship with profound historical traditions, and contribute to peace and stability in the region and the world.
The DPRK people take heartfelt joy in the remarkable achievements made by the brotherly Chinese people, Kim said, expressing belief that under the leadership of the CPC with Xi at its core, the great Chinese people will surely create greater achievements in building a great modern socialist country in all respects, realizing the Second Centenary Goal, and completing the new journey toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Xi says China-DPRK ties stand at new historical starting point
