BEIJING, Dec. 21 -- China has achieved steady progress in developing its transport infrastructure, fostering a highly efficient, multi-tiered and extensive transport network that consistently delivers social benefits and drives economic growth.

Here are some recent highlights from the country's transport sector.

-- In the first 11 months of this year, China recorded a total of 55.6 billion passenger trips, marking a surge of 34.8 percent from the same period last year.

-- During this period, China's civil aviation sector transported 719,000 tonnes of cargo and mail, reaching 102.8 percent of the volume recorded in the pre-pandemic 2019.

-- The country's transport sector saw a fixed-asset investment of 3.6 trillion yuan (about 507 billion U.S. dollars) in the first 11 months of 2023, significantly contributing to stimulation of demand, stabilizing of employment and bolstering of livelihoods.

-- China has renovated over 160,000 km of rural roads and expanded the operational mileage of its urban rail transit by 360 km this year, enhancing transport convenience nationwide.

-- By the end of 2022, China had constructed the world's largest high-speed rail network and the largest expressway network in the world. These services reach over 95 percent of cities nationwide, each with a population surpassing 200,000.

-- The country boasts some 155,000 km of railways, 5.35 million km of highways, about 21,000 ship berths for production and 254 civil airports.

-- Regular international flights operated by Chinese airlines connect 153 cities in 62 countries, while courier services provided by Chinese companies cover over 220 countries and regions in the world.

-- China has taken strides in advancing intelligent transport, with the total testing mileage of its automated vehicles exceeding 70 million km. It also remains the world's largest new-energy vehicle market.