CHINA has stepped up efforts to complete five 'priority projects' in spite of the credit squeeze announced at the NPC.
The five are of importance in taming major rivers and improving transport and the people's livelihood.
Premier Li told NPC deputies that the major projects, including the mammoth Three Gorges dam project and the Beijing-Kowloon railway, were progressing well.
The Three Gorges project on the Yangtze River will consist of a dam, flood-discharging machinery, a hydroelectric power plant and navigational facilities.
Despite opposition from environmentalists, work began late last year and is set for completion in the year 2009.
According to Mr Li, priority has also been given to the water-control project in Xiaolangdi, a gigantic bid to harness the Yellow River, the second largest river in the country.