(ATF) China saw 316 new public-private partnership (PPP) projects registered in the first five months of this year, a third of which were related to urban infrastructure, data from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) showed Thursday.
PPPs act as collaborative investment models between government and private companies. Chinese authorities have been exploring funding infrastructure and public works through PPP models in recent years, aiming to reduce local government debt and provide new opportunities to private capital.
The initiative has been given added impetus as the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus lockdown has depleted pubic coffers.
Sectors including agriculture, forestry, water conservation, social development, transport and environmental protection also reported new PPP projects in the period.
A total of 7,235 PPP projects have been registered with a national monitoring platform, the figures showed.
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