Highway cargo volume to shrink

China will reduce its highway cargo volume as it adjusts its transportation structure to reduce pollution, an official with the Ministry of Transport said on Monday.

China aims to increase its cargo volume on national railways by 1.1 billion metric tons and on waterways by 500 million tons. It will also reduce the cargo volume on highways linked to coastal ports by 440 million tons from now to 2020, said Liu Xiaoming, vice-minister of transport.

Speaking at a news briefing hosted by the State Council Information Office, Liu said speeding up changes to the transportation structure is important for pollution prevention and control.