National roads project will leave 'no village' behind

Every village in China will have access to asphalt roads by 2020, as part of efforts to lift more rural areas out of poverty, the vice-minister of transport said on Thursday.

"By 2020, most impoverished areas will have access to freeways, and counties will be connected to highways where possible," Dai Dongchang said at a news conference in Beijing arranged by the State Council Information Office.

"Townships and villages will have asphalt roads and operational buses, and a comprehensive transport network will be formed. No village will be left behind."