BEIJING — The total length of China's highway network has reached 5.28 million km, an official said on April 26.

Zhou Rongfeng, an official with the Ministry of Transport, underscored the importance of strengthening highway maintenance and management as the highway is among the most widely used means of transportation, with the most extensive coverage and the largest number of passengers.

China has set up a national highway network that consists of expressways, trunk roads, and rural roads.

A total of 1.29 trillion yuan (about $196.7 billion) has been channeled into highway maintenance and addressing highway safety hazards in recent years, according to the ministry.

In the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), Zhou said the country will step up highway maintenance and management, citing a relevant guideline.

Efforts will be made to renovate dilapidated and old highway bridges and tunnels, accelerate the construction of battery charging and swapping stations, and improve electronic toll collection services, Zhou said.