The idea for the project was mentioned in the 13th five-year plan while the 14th highlighted the need to “alleviate bottlenecks on the Three Gorges hub”.

“Given the current backdrop of economic weakness, stimulus-driven investment in infrastructure is likely to remain a preferred tool for the government to support growth,” said Alfredo Montufar-Helu, a Beijing-based senior China adviser and managing director at advisory firm GreenPoint.

But he also cautioned that “what China needs to ensure long-term prosperity” is to balance this supply-side focus with structural reforms that raise productivity and unlock the potential of domestic demand. “Achieving this will take more than five years,” he said.

In his Wednesday report, the NDRC’s Zheng also mentioned other major infrastructure projects such as the mega hydropower dam in Tibet – set to become the world’s largest – where construction began in July.

He also called for the full roll-out of targeted initiatives to boost consumption, including easing restrictions, expanding spending on services, implementing child subsidies and placing greater emphasis on “investing in people”.

He noted that China’s development environment had become “increasingly complex, severe, and uncertain” due to external shocks and internal risks, while noting that “positive factors are continuously accumulating”.

Authorities must “better coordinate domestic economic tasks with international trade challenges” in the second half of the year to stabilise the economy and meet annual growth targets, he said.