The total length of China's rural highways has reached 2.9 million kilometers, connecting 99.6 percent of the township administrative centers and 92 percent villages.

Vice Minister of Communications Feng Zhenglin made the remark Saturday at a seminar on China's rural highways, which was held in Taiyuan, capital city of north China's Shanxi Province.

Roads connecting county seats, towns and villages total 480,000 km, 950,000 km and 1.47 million km respectively, Feng said.

The Chinese government has invested huge funds to build rural roads, stretching the 590,000-km highway network connecting counties and towns in 1978 to over 1.4 million km in 2004, he said.

In 2003 to 2004, China rebuilt 352,000 km of rural roads, with 192,000 km blacktop and cement roads paved, he said.

Currently 167 towns and 49,339 administrative villages are still not linked with highways, according to the ministry.

(Xinhua News Agency October 24, 2005)