China invested 577.8 billion yuan (91.91 billion U.S. dollars) in new projects designed to support its western development strategy this year, the country's top economic planner said Wednesday.

In 2012, construction started on 22 major projects, including the third west-east natural gas pipeline project and a wind power base in Gansu province, the commission said.

A total of 3.68 trillion yuan was invested in 187 major projects between 2000 and 2012, the commission said.

The western development strategy is a policy adopted by the government in January 2000 to help underdeveloped western regions catch up with China's more prosperous eastern regions.