BEIJING, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- China saw 386 new public-private partnership (PPP) projects registered in the first eight months of the year, official data showed.
PPP projects with a total investment of 239.9 billion yuan (about 34.53 billion U.S. dollars) were added to the transport sector during the period, the largest investment volume of new projects among all the sectors, according to the Ministry of Finance.
In August, a total of 48 new PPP projects were added, 25 of which are related to low carbon and pollution prevention and control.
PPPs act as collaborative investment models between the government and private companies.
Chinese authorities have in recent years been exploring the possibility of funding infrastructure and public works through PPP models, aiming to reduce local government debts and provide new opportunities for private capital.
From 2014 to the end of August this year, China had 10,306 PPP projects, with a total investment of 16.4 trillion yuan, according to the ministry. ■
