ZHUHAI, Nov. 7 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese Minister of Construction Wang Guangtao said here Friday that China will further increase investment in public sanitation and infrastructure construction so as to ensure better service in urban and rural areas.

    Wang told a forum of the World Economic Development DeclarationConference being held in this coastal city of southern China's Guangdong Province that China had made "great achievements" in its public facilities construction as water supply has covered 77.85 percent of its urban areas while the urban sewage water treatment rate hit 39.97 percent by 2002.

    About 54.24 percent of garbage has been treated to eliminate poison, and China's urban gardening rate has neared 30 percent.

    But there is still imbalance in China's regional development, said the minister, noting that China's central and western parts are still weak in infrastructure construction, especially in the rural areas.

    Wang said the Chinese government has listed the central and western areas as the key areas to improve the public utility service. Local environment and sanitation facilities will be improved by increasing investment and building more sewage water and garbage treatment plants.

    China will also promote the process towards the market economy in the urban and rural public utility construction, said Wang. The public utility service market will open to all sorts of capitals, including domestic private and foreign capitals, he said.

    Wang said China will also improve the price-formation mechanism of all public utilities to meet the demand of the market, and introduce the franchise system in the process.

    China will also amend related laws and regulations to ensure sound construction and administration during the reform process, said Wang.

    He added that the prevention and reaction systems for emergency cases in water supply, drainage, garbage treatment, and disasters supervision, will also be improved in Chinese cities and rural areas. Enditem