Premier Zhu Rongji said oversease investors are welcome to invest in the construction of a 4,200-km natural gas pipeline running from the central Asian region of Xinjiang to Shanghai.

Overseas investors can have a controlling interest in, or manage, the project, he said.

The project can be completed within two years, he said.

He made the remarks in Beijing Wednesday afternoon at a press conference held shortly after the conclusion of the 3rd Session of the Ninth National People's Congress.