Guangzhou has broken ground on its fourth subway line and announced that it is going ahead with plans to build three more lines - even as the central government announced it was suspending subway construction lines in 20 cities.
'We are not only speeding up construction of the third and fourth lines but also preparatory work for the fifth, sixth and seventh lines. I believe construction will begin in the not too distant future,' Guangzhou Communist Party secretary and mayor Lin Shusen said.
Mr Lin said the speedy construction of the subway network was essential to Guangzhou's aspiration to become a modern metropolis.
Guangzhou Metro Corp general manager Lu Guanglin, in an interview with Guangzhou Daily, said he had not received notification from the central government to put subway construction on hold.
State media said the new subway, running 11.1 km from Science City to Nansha island in the south, would be completed in 2006.
The subway will serve a new university that is being built on Nansha to meet Guangdong's need for more skilled workers.
The reports did not give costs for the subway, built by Guangzhou Construction Group No 3, but Subway No 1 cost 12.3 billion yuan (HK$11.6 billion).