BEIJING — China's fixed-asset investment (FAI) in highways and waterways registered steady growth in the first 11 months of the year, official data showed.

Total FAI in highways and waterways reached 2.16 trillion yuan (about $294 billion) during the January-November period, a year-on-year growth of 2.9 percent, according to statistics from the Ministry of Transport.

Specifically, investment in inland rivers expanded 7.5 percent to reach 54.75 billion yuan, while that of highway construction recorded a growth rate of 1.9 percent to 2.02 trillion yuan during the period.

The FAI growth rate registered in central regions hit 6.7 percent year-on-year for the first 11 months, which was much higher than that of western and eastern China.