To counter China’s rapidly slowing economic growth, the Chinese government has returned to the policy of spending money on large infrastructure projects. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China’s top economic planner, has accelerated its review process and approved 27 infrastructure projects with a total expected investment of CNY1.48 trillion since the start of 2018, of which 16 worth around CNY1.1 trillion were approved since the start of November. Concerns were raised over a return to the debt-fueled infrastructure investment binge that caused Beijing to halt approval of such projects in 2017, however, the need to stabilize the economy took precedent.

The South China Morning Post reviewed the top 10 infrastructure projects by expected investment value that China has approved since the start of 2018, each costing over CNY50 billion. The total investment for the 10 projects is projected at CNY1.158 trillion over the next six years, or about 78% of all newly approved infrastructure investment since the start of 2018.

1. Shanghai Urban Rail Transit Expansion (USD44.23 billion): Six subway lines and three intercity railways will be constructed from 2018 to 2023 with a combined length of 286 km to create better connections between Shanghai’s two airports and two major railway stations.

2. Intercity Railway along the Yangtze river in Jiangsu province (USD34.35 billion): Eight regional intercity railways will be built along the Yangtze river in Jiangsu province to shorten commuting time from the provincial capital Nanjing to other cities in Jiangsu and Anhui province.

3. Wuhan Urban Rail Transit (USD21.78 billion): Four metro lines plus four urban express lines will be constructed in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, to ease the city’s traffic congestion.

4. Intercity Rail Network in Eastern Guangdong (USD14.86 billion): An intercity rail network of seven lines in eastern Guangdong province will facilitate connections between the cities of Shantou, Shanwei, Chaozhou, and Jieyang.

5. Suzhou Urban Rail Transit (USD13.84 billion): Construction of four new urban transit lines in Suzhou, including a 41 km line connecting the city to Shanghai.

6. Changchun Urban Rail Transit (USD10.55 billion): Construction of seven urban rail transit lines, including the extension of three existing ones, in Changchun, capital of Jilin province, to boost the development of the city’s new districts.

7. Xian-Yanan High Speed Rail (USD8.18 billion): Construction of a high speed rail connecting Xian and Yanan, with a stop at Chinese President Xi Jinping’s hometown of Fuping.

8. Hangzhou Urban Rail Transit (USD8.3 billion): Allocation of an additional budget of CNY56 billion to the already approved Hangzhou urban rail transit project, including the new airport express from Wushan West station to Hangzhou International Airport.

9. Chongqing-Qianjiang High Speed Rail (USD7.93 billion): The rail line includes the first railway tunnel under the Yangtze river.

10. Guangxi Intercity Railway Network (USD7.67 billion): Construction of two intercity railways in the Guangxi autonomous region, from the capital Nanning to Yulin and Chongzuo.