An aerial view of irrigated fields in Ji'an City, Jiangxi Province, east China, July 16, 2024. (Photo: CFP)

China invested 515.1 billion yuan (about 75.82 billion U.S. dollars) in the construction of water conservancy facilities in the first half (H1) of 2026, data from the Ministry of Water Resources showed on Friday.

A total of 25 major water conservancy projects were newly launched during the January-June period, while water infrastructure construction created 1.344 million jobs in H1, the ministry said at a press conference.