China has built the world's largest and most comprehensive water conservancy infrastructure system that benefits the largest population in the world, said Minister of Water Resources Li Guoying in Beijing on Monday.

Li made the remarks while briefing the press on the achievements of China's water conservancy infrastructure development during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025).

"In 2022, investment in water conservancy construction crossed the one-trillion-yuan (about 140 billion U.S. dollar) threshold for the first time and had continued to break historical records for three consecutive years, reaching 1.3529 trillion yuan in 2024. The total investment during the 14th Five-Year Plan period is projected to exceed 5.4 trillion yuan, 1.6 times that of the 13th Five-Year Plan period," he said.

"Since the beginning of the 14th Five-Year Plan, 172 major water conservancy projects have been launched. The layout, the structure, the function and system integration of water conservancy infrastructure has been optimized at an accelerated pace," the minister said.

This rapid development has not only enhanced the efficiency and resilience of water management systems but also laid a solid foundation for future water security and sustainable growth across the country, according to the minister.

"By the end of 2024, China has built 95,000 reservoirs, 200 large- and medium-sized water diversion projects, 6,924 large- and medium-sized irrigation districts and 318,000 kilometers of embankment, forming the world's largest and most comprehensive water conservancy infrastructure system that benefits the largest population," he said.

Source: CCTV+