China wants to use more intelligent technology to make its transportation systems more efficient.

The country"s Ministry of Transport recently announced the national plan to nurture China"s intelligent transport system (ITS) in order to reduce traffic congestion in cities, improve air quality, and increase economic development. The government will encourage more private investment in the field, Hong Xiaofeng, deputy director of the science and technology department under the Ministry of Transport, said at the tripopening ceremony of the third ITS Conference in Beijing on Tuesday.

"Some forecasts said that the number of vehicles in China will exceed 200 million in 2020, which calls for a more intensive use of smart transport technologies to optimize the traffic network and achieve lower-carbon s," Hong said.

Currently, smart technologies that are being utilized in China include cameras that track traffic, electronic bus boards indicating next arrivals, satellite navigation, electronic toll collection, and emergency traffic command.

In addition, China has another asset that could help developing more smart transportation technologies. With 1 billion mobile phone users, Chinese officials say they will look to build more applications to enhance transportation efficiency