The State Council’s General Office has issued a reform guideline on the allocation of duties and expenditure responsibility of central and local finance in transportation.

Six fields are included in the reform: highways, waterways, railways, civil aviation, postal service, and comprehensive transportation.

Central finance will cover the macro management, special planning, policymaking, supervision and evaluation of national highways, bridges over boundary rivers, and cross-border crossing vehicle transportation.

For waterways, central finance will be responsible for the special planning, policymaking, supervision and evaluation of the Yangtze River main channel, Xijiang River main shipping line, and river channels for cross-border and international shipping.

Macro management of railways is also subject to central finance.

As for civil aviation, central finance will shoulder the spending in air traffic control, civil aviation safety, fleet building for special tasks, and emergency air transportation.

Major postal service networks and facilities for inward and outward express will also be covered by central finance.

Central and local governments will share fiscal duties in planning and maintaining national road ports, as well as providing reserve emergency equipment for regional roads.

Special planning and maintenance of the Beijing-Hangzhou canal and other high-class inland waterways, as well as public infrastructure at coastal ports, are also the shared responsibility of central and local finance.

Central and local governments should also be responsible for the disposal of emergency oil spills at sea and marine rescue.

Central and local finance will share the responsibility for transport airports and safety management and supervision in the postal industry.

Construction, maintenance, management, operation, and emergency handling will be covered by local finance, which will also be responsible for the planning, decision-making, and supervision of provincial and rural roads, and transport stations.

Ports and public anchorage ground of inland waterways, security inspection facilities of passenger terminals, as well as the safety and searching of local waters will be managed by local finance.

In terms of railways, local finance will play its role in the construction, maintenance, and operation of inter-city railways, suburban railways, branch railways, and special lines.

General airports, universal postal services, and express delivery infrastructure will be sponsored by local finance, the guideline said.