China's national railway network will be extended to 165,000 kilometers by the end of 2025, 50,000 km of which will be high-speed railways, according to Liu Zhenfang, president of the China State Railway Group, the national railway operator.

"The goal for the next five years and beyond is to promote the system's high-quality development and take the lead in achieving modernization to support efforts to build China into a modern socialist country in all respects," said Liu, who is also a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress.

The key to achieving the goal is to develop a modernized railway system, concentrating on infrastructure, transportation services, scientific and technological innovation, safety, operations and management, and governance.

By the end of 2025, the sector will have completed the targets set in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) for railway development, Liu said.

By the end of last year, China's railway network covered 155,000 km, 42,000 km of which are high-speed railways, accounting for more than two-thirds of the world's high-speed railways.