A high-speed train heading to Nanchang, southeastern China's Jiangxi province. (Photo/CNS)
China and Thailand will strengthen cooperation in the railway sector, while China will provide high-speed rail technology, which is both reliable and cost-competitive, according to China's premier Li Keqiang at a high-speed rail exhibition in Bangkok on Oct. 12.
The advantages of China's high-speed rail technology are quite evident and its export would boost China's advantage in the field on an international stage, a Chinese railway engineer pointed out. He added that China is eager to take part in a high-speed rail construction project between Nong Khai and Phachi in Thailand, and has agreed to accept partial payment in the form of Thai agricultural products.
Some observers said that Li's personal promotion of China's high-speed technology would not only facilitate China and Thailand's cooperation in the field of railway construction, but will also boost connectivity in the region.
Li Hongchang, a professor at the Beijing Jiaotong University, said that it was very important for China to work with Thailand as this would affect the country's strategic position in Southeast Asia. At present, China has the most widespread high-speed rail network globally. The total mileage in service in China is equivalent to the combined mileage of all other countries around the world. Moreover, there is still around 10,000 kilometers of railways under construction.
According to state-run news agency Xinhua, the construction cost for high-speed railway quoted by foreign builders was US$50 million per kilometer, but was only US$33 million among their Chinese counterparts. Meanwhile, Beijing has signed an agreement regarding cooperation in high-speed railway construction with more than 50 countries as of 2010, with the projects' total value touching US$26 billion.
Some experts have attributed the success of these collaborations to advanced low-cost technology and safety. Li said that 70% of the components used during high-speed rail construction in China were manufactured domestically after years of development. He said no other country in the world possesses such technology, adding that many of the railways in the United States have been built by China.