BEIJING - China vowed Sunday to strengthen its inland water transport system over the next ten years to establish a smooth, efficient, safe and environmentally-friendly inland water transport network by 2020, said a statement posted on the central government's website.

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China will have 19,000 kilometers of navigable waterways by 2020 and the national waterways' freight traffic is expected to rise to more than 3 billion tonnes, according to the statement.

Also, the country will continue to harness and develop the Yangtze River, a major artery for transporting commodities such as coal and steel to and from river cities, as well as other inland waterways over the next ten years.

Further, China plans to expand its waterway network and build more river ports and infrastructure to increase water transport capacity and develop the country's vast interior regions.