The city has finished 28 key projects with the actual investment surging to 42 billion yuan (US$5.06 billion) in 2001, a 68 per cent increase over input in 2000.

"These projects mostly effect the lives of the common people and contribute greatly to the city's steady and sustainable development," said Jiao Yang, director of the office.

Among the 28 projects, the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, listed first on the government's construction schedule, served as the major venue for the very successful APEC summit and now has opened to the public to allow them to explore the mysteries of science.

Adding to its extensive rail network, the city has completed 160 km of expressway and opened one more rail line to Jiangsu Province, according to Xiong Jianping, deputy director of Shanghai Construction and Management Administrative Bureau.

To add to the existing five river-crossings, three more tunnels and one more bridge are under construction and will accelerate the development of Pudong and strengthen links across the Huangpu River.

To give the metropolis more international appeal, the city has taken the issue of environmental beautification very seriously.

In 2001, the city added 800 hectares of green space. The comprehensive clean-up of Suzhou Creek and other small streams has made significant progress.

In all these projects, advanced technology has been stressed to raise the quality and shorten the construction period.

In addition to funding from the government, in 2001, the city attracted 11.7 billion yuan (US$1.41 billion) in investment from society for its infrastructure upgrading projects.

"The completion of these projects has laid a solid basis for the fulfillment of the city's goals over the first five years of the new century," said Xiong. "And next year, construction will be on a much larger scale in terms of investment and the number of projects." The bureau is working out the specific plan with the Shanghai Municipal Development Planning Commission.

(China Daily December 28, 2001)