(Yicai Global) Feb. 24 -- Southwestern China's powerhouse Yunnan province has revealed its big infrastructure investment plans such as expanding Kunming Changshui International Airport and building fifth-generation networks over this decade.

Yunnan province will spend around CNY3.6 trillion (USD511.7 billion) in 20 projects, the regional administration said at a press conference yesterday.

The mountainous region with many tourist attractions logged 8.1 percent in gross domestic product growth last year, ranking second-best among Chinese provinces. 

These infrastructure projects will play a key role in driving the province's economic and social development, said Zhou Minxin, vice director of the region's Development and Reform Commission. The province will facilitate cooperation and lift restrictions to open up to social, private and foreign capital, Zhou added.

Ten of the projects will be finished by 2027, including the airport undertaking that will be kicked off this year and a high-speed railway to Chongqing, connecting Sichuan and Guizhou provinces. 

Another 10, including a high-speed railway from the regional capital of Kunming to tourism city Lijiang, total CNY2 trillion in investment. Most of these projects have entered a period of feasibility studies, Zhou added.

Editor: Emmi Laine