Around 76 percent of all freight in China, or roughly 23 billion metric tons, is transported by road. China's road network is now the second-largest in the world after the United States, with roughly 81,000 kilometers (50,000 miles) of paved roads anchored by three sets of national expressways: 12 linking Beijing to urban centers as far as Lhasa, 28 that stretch north to south across China, and another 30 spanning east to west. By comparison, in 1992 China had only 574 kilometers of official expressway, and as recently as 2007 that number stood at roughly 45,000 kilometers.
An expanded expressway system is necessary, but reliance on roads at the expense of rail and waterway transport (which each account for around 12 percent of total freight transport by tonnage) reflects an imbalance that will hinder Beijing's goal of more even, comprehensive development of the interior. While roadways potentially offer greater access to rural markets not reached by rail or waterways, they are also far more expensive — especially for long-distance transport. Moreover, China's road freight sector is far less logistically integrated than rail or shipping, with the majority of transport contracted out to individual truck owners rather than nationwide companies. Road transport works well in coastal areas, where distance and the cost of fuel are not significant deterrents, but it is less viable as a means of freight transport from inland manufacturers to distant coastal ports.
