 Since the
founding of the PRC in 1949, China has formed a comprehensive transportation
system comprehending railways, highways, civil aviation and water transport and
a posts and telecommunications network accessible from all directions.
As
the market economy system was established after the initiation of the policies
of reform and opening to the outside world in 1978, historic changes took place
in transport, posts and telecommunications - they have developed quickly and are
heading for openness and competition, emerging from a closed and monopolistic
state.
By the end of 1998, the total length of transportation lines in
China had reached 2.98 million km, 16 times and 2.4 times the lengths in 1949
and 1978 respectively; the total length of optical cable lines had reached
173,000 km from zero in 1978. In 1978, there were no mobile
telecommunications in China; however by the end of 1998, the nation's total
mobile phone exchange capacity had reached 43.65 million users.
Mobile
telecommunications have developed to the extent of using analog and digital
networks, and realized automatic roaming with some countries and regions.
Data telecommunications have grown from nothing to the stage of having an
efficient network.
The
level of technical equipment of transport, posts and telecommunications is
continuously rising.
By the end of 1998, the length of double-track
railways had reached 19,642 km, with a
double-track rate of 33.6 percent, a
nearly 18 percentage points increase over 1978; and the length of electrified
lines had reached 13,022 km, with an electrification rate of 22.3 percent, a
20.3 percentage points increase over 1978.
Developing from nothing, the
length of expressways has reached 6,258 km.
The numbers of railway
engines, civil vehicles, motor transport ships and airplanes have all doubled or
redoubled. New berths at major harbors total 1,201, of which 312 are
10,000-ton-class berths, and the number of new civil airports is 90. With
the improvement of transport capacity and expansion of posts and
telecommunications, transport, posts and telecommunications have developed by
leaps and bounds.
In 1998, the various transport means carried 3785.5
billion tons/km of freight and 1055.9 billion person/km - 3.9 times and six
times increases over 1978 respectively. The posts and telecommunications
volume totaled 243.1 billion yuan, 78.7 times the 1.165 billion yuan in 1978 in
constant prices.
More...
Back
to Top...
|
