China's transport sector has set goals for next year, including continuing to implement epidemic control and maintaining a stable and smooth logistics supply chain, according to the Ministry of Transport.

The ministry will carry out major tasks in 12 aspects next year. Efforts will be made to ensure the sector's safe and stable development. It will accelerate the building of a high-quality comprehensive transport network, promote transport development in urban and rural areas, as well as encourage innovation to lead the industry's development.

The ministry will also enhance international communication and boost the sector's green and low-carbon development.

The transport sector has completed its annual goals set at the beginning of this year, Liu Pengfei, a spokesman for the ministry, told a news conference on Dec 24 in Beijing.

From January to November, 3.28 trillion yuan ($515 billion) was invested in fixed assets in transportation, including 640 billion yuan in railways, 2.53 trillion yuan in freeways and waterways, and 105 billion yuan in civil aviation.

It is expected to build and renovate expressways stretching more than 9,000 kilometers this year. A total of nine new airports have been put into operation. The country has newly built more than 1,000 km of rail transit, such as subways, in urban areas.

This year, major transport projects have made great progress.

A major high-speed railway in northeastern China — a railway connecting Beijing and Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province — opened to traffic in January. A freeway linking Beijing and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region began operation in July, and the first electrified railway started operation in the Tibet autonomous region in June.

Passenger traffic was down from January to November.

During the first 11 months, the country handled 7.73 billion passenger trips, a year-on-year decline of 12.2 percent. However, Liu said, passenger trips in railway, water and civil aviation have increased while road traffic has dropped.
Freight transportation has continued to grow.

From January to November, the country handled 47.5 billion metric tons of cargo, a year-on-year increase of 13.5 percent. Ports across the country are expected to handle 15.5 billion tons of freight this year.

The ministry also promoted green transportation this year, drawing up plans for the sector's green and low-carbon development, said Fan Zhenyu, deputy director of the ministry's comprehensive planning department.

The ministry also promoted new energy and clean energy vehicles. More than 86,000 new energy vehicles have been added to deliver parcels in cities, and over 66 percent of city buses are new energy vehicles.