The autumn scenery along a rural road, which is being built, linking counties of Mainling and Medog in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Oct. 24, 2019. (Xinhua/Purbu Zhaxi)

LHASA, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region has built or renovated a total of 43,400 km of rural roads over the past five years, local authorities said Tuesday.

The regional government has invested 95.7 billion yuan (around 13.7 billion U.S. dollars) over the period in paving modern roads to 2,276 villages, according to the regional transport department.

The autumn scenery along a rural road, which is being built, linking counties of Mainling and Medog in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Oct. 24, 2019. (Xinhua/Purbu Zhaxi)

Among the 74 counties in Tibet, all except Medog have been connected to passenger transport services.

Another 2,000 km of rural roads will be added by the end of 2020, the department said, adding that all the towns, as well as 80 percent of the villages, will have passenger transport services by then. ■