BEIJING, Jan. 2 -- China's ministries, agencies, and local governments have announced numerous investment plans since the cabinet announced a 4-trillion-yuan (586 billion U.S. dollars)stimulus package in November to combat the impact of the global financial and economic crisis.

    A list of plans by ministries and ministry-level commissions, except the ministries of railways and transport, was covered in a previous report. It is not possible, at this point, to determine exactly how different spending plans overlap.

    The following is a list, compiled from Xinhua reports, of spending plans by the ministries of railways and transport, which comprise the single biggest component of announced stimulus plans.

    This section of the report on stimulus plans also includes other government organizations.

    Spending plans by city and provincial governments will be covered in subsequent reports.-- Ministry of Railways: 5 trillion yuan, from 2008 to 2020, to build about 40,000 km of railways, including 1 trillion yuan for 10,000 km and 600 billion yuan for related infrastructure construction in 2009, another 1 trillion yuan for a further 10,000km in 2010 and 500 billion yuan for rolling stock procurement from2009 to 2012.

    Construction of several railways started in November, including a rail link between Chengdu and Dujiangyan, which began on Nov. 4;a line from Tianjin to Qinhuangdao on Nov. 8 and a link between Nanning and Guangzhou on Nov. 9.-- Ministry of Transport: 2 trillion yuan, from 2009 to 2010, on transport infrastructure, divided into three parts including construction of rural roads, large infrastructure projects such as airports and quake rebuilding projects in southwest China.-- Bureau of Corruption Prevention: no new investment plan announced.-- Customs: no new investment plan announced.-- Forestry Administration: 3.65 billion yuan, representing part of a combined investment of more than 200 billion yuan the State Council has approved to help boost domestic demand and offset slowing exports through 2010. Forestry spending is divided into seven parts including 1 billion yuan for natural forest protection,1.5 billion yuan for the Three North Protection Forest Project, 500 million yuan for coastal protection forest projects, 300 million for protection forest projects along the Yangtze River, 100 million yuan each for the protection forest project along the Pearl River and the a forestation project in the Taihangshan Mountains and 150 million yuan for renovation of shanty towns in state forests.-- State Administration for Industry and Commerce: no new investment plan announced.-- National Bureau of Statistics: no new investment plan announced.-- General Administration of Press and Publication: no new investment plan announced.-- General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine: no new investment plan announced.-- State Administration for Religious Affairs: no new investment plan announced.-- State Administration of Radio, Film and Television: no new investment plan announced.-- State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission: no new investment plan announced.-- State Administration of Work Safety: no new investment plan announced.-- State General Administration of Sport: no new investment plan announced.-- General Office of the State Council: no new investment plan announced.-- State Intellectual Property Office: no new investment plan announced.-- State Administration of Taxation: companies will no longer pay value-added tax for equipment purchases, which is expected to reduce the tax burden on companies by 120 billion yuan a year.

    Three rises in export tax rebates, effective on Nov. 1, Dec. 1 and Jan. 1, 2009, respectively, cover a wide variety of products that account for more than half of the country's total exports.-- National Tourism Administration: a plan to return up to 70 percent of the deposits of travel agencies, which inbound travel firms usually have to deposit with the administration in amounts of up to 100,000 yuan and outbound ones 1.6 million yuan. Travel agencies will be able to get back 50 percent to 70 percent of their deposits before the end of January and keep the refunded amount until the end of 2010.

    (Source: Xinhua)