There are 1.18 million kilometers of highways in China, including 68 national highways. The nation is going full speed ahead in the construction of expressways and first and second-grade motor roads. Construction of expressways and first-and second-class highways are progressing rapidly. Several dozen expressways pivoting on such major cities as Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Chengdu, Taiyuan and Xi'an have been completed and opened to traffic. Sections of the Lianyungang-Alataw (Xinjiang) Expressway, which runs across the Chinese continent from east to west, and the Beijing-Hong Kong Expressway, cutting through the country from south to north, will begin construction soon.

Impressive improvement had been achieved in China's highway transportation by the end of the 20th century. Provincial capital cities are highway passenger transport centers that operate regular bus services to and from various prefectures, cities, counties and towns in their respective provinces and autonomous regions. The numbers of tourist buses in large and medium-sized cities and sleeper-buses that run across provincial boundaries are on the increase. Expressway transport in China is characterized by top-notch and speedy services and simplified procedures, and express buses are dispatched in a streamlined fashion to guarantee prompt arrival. Most vehicles traveling these expressways are imported or joint venture products that are well designed, comfortably equipped and reliable. Service of these buses is on a par with airline service, and they travel at an average speed of 100 kilometers per hour.