According to Xinhua News Agency, China's central authorities have moved this year to accelerate construction of what planners call the "Six Networks": the water grid, the new-type power grid, the computing power network, the next-generation communication network, urban underground pipeline networks and the logistics network. The outlet reported that reporters conducted on-site research across the country for a special series marking the midpoint of 2026, the opening year of the 15th Five-Year Plan period.
Two major projects illustrate the pace of delivery. In January, the outlet section of the main water-delivery trunk line for the South-to-North Water Diversion project's middle route, the Yin Jiang Bu Han scheme, was connected, a step Xinhua described as a key breakthrough for the backbone of the national water grid. In April, construction started on the Zhejiang ultra-high-voltage alternating current ring network project, which the report identifies as the largest single ultra-high-voltage AC transmission project by investment in the country, intended to channel green power to support integration across the Yangtze River Delta. On June 11 at 15:30, a Long March 5 rocket launched a communication technology test satellite from the Wenchang space launch site, according to the report.
On financing scale, the article cites an estimate from the National Development and Reform Commission that investment tied to the Six Networks will exceed 7 trillion yuan in 2026 alone. For urban underground pipeline networks specifically, the report cites unnamed institutional statistics showing total renovation investment over the 15th Five-Year Plan period is expected to exceed 5 trillion yuan, directly driving demand across pipe materials, construction machinery, smart sensors and construction services, and supporting an estimated 2,8 million jobs a year, with an investment multiplier described as markedly higher than for general infrastructure projects.
Local cases cited in the report include the Weishan irrigation district in Shandong, where a digital twin system now directs water allocation from the Yellow River through a network of sensors, saving close to 30 cubic metres of water per mu and expanding irrigable area by 100.000 mu. In Guangzhou's Panyu district, a shared water-supply retrofit project covering more than 7.500 households was nearing completion, replacing aging pipes and installing water meters capable of transmitting usage data remotely.