A top transport official said Monday China plans to invest more than 36 billion yuan ($5.6 billion) in the next five years to build the Yangtze River waterway.

The investment will include building waterways on the river's trunk and main branch lines, as well as transportation support systems and main docks, chinanews.com reported, citing vice-minister of transport Xu Zuyuan.

A cargo ship runs under a bridge on the Jiujiang section of the Yangtze River in East China's Jiangxi province, in this photo taken on May 23, 2011. [Photo/Xinhua]

"By 2015, a safe, smooth, convenient and green water transportation system on the Yangtze River will be generally formed," Xu said, noting policies of the Ministry of Transport will favor infrastructure projects and the less developed central and western regions.

Xu said the central government will invest 45 billion yuan on water transportation facilities in the country's inland rivers during the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-2015), while the investment for the whole country is expected to surpass 200 billion yuan in that period.

Chinanews.com said investments on the Yangtze's trunk waterway topped 13.2 billion yuan during the 11th Five-Year Plan period (2006-2010), more than double that of the previous five years.