Connectivity a boon for all the disparate dots on the map

"If a remote village wants to be prosperous, it should build roads first." This well-known phrase still resonates today in the country's quest for high-quality development.

The government's focus now is on further expanding and modernizing the country's vast transport network, and improving its management and efficiency. Over the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), China has woven an integrated and multidimensional transport network, making sweeping progress that has enhanced connectivity and underpinned economic growth.

By the end of 2024, six out of the 17 major transport targets set out in the plan had been achieved ahead of schedule, and the remaining targets are expected to be achieved by the end of this year, Minister of Transport Liu Wei told a news conference on Monday.