China completes 2026 funding for major national infrastructure program

(ECNS) - China has earmarked 193.5 billion yuan ($26.9 billion), the third and final batch of funding for its 2026 "Two Priorities" program, from ultra-long special treasury bonds, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said.

The latest allocation completes this year's funding plan, under which the NDRC and other government agencies have committed 800 billion yuan to support 1,417 major projects nationwide.

The "Two Priorities" program refers to major national strategies and capacity building for security in major areas.

The projects cover technological innovation, ecological restoration in the Yangtze River basin, transport infrastructure along the Yangtze River, urban underground pipeline networks, major water conservancy projects, the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor in western China, higher education upgrades and the "Three-North" shelterbelt program, the NDRC said.

The commission also said it is advancing related policy and institutional reforms, including railway financing mechanisms, wastewater pricing reforms in Yangtze cities, flood-control infrastructure standards and agricultural water pricing.

(By Zhang Jiahao)