The judicial railway administration in Chongqing Municipality, Yunnan Province

and Hubei Province has been moved from the railway system to local judiciary.

Chongqing and Yunan switched over on May 4 and Hubei made the change on May 5, a

welcome change to what many considered to be an unfair system.

Since January 20, similar changes were seen in provinces of Shannxi, Shanxi,

Jiangsu, Gansu, Anhui and Beijing Municipality.

The transfer of administrations was declared in December 2010, but few railway

courts or procuratorates actively responded to the change.

According to Liu Bin, a researcher with the National Development and Reform

Commission (NDRC), the initiative for the current reform comes from an

announcement from the Ministry of Railways that it will cease to finance the

railway courts and procuratorates as of the end of June.

The Chinese railway judicial administration was copied after the Soviet model.

In such a system, the state-owned railway organs are in charge of railway

transportation and construction as well as the establishment of railway courts

and procuratorates, which maintain exclusive jurisdiction over railway cases and

concerns. In this system, judges are employees of state-owned enterprises rather

than public servants.

The legitimacy of railway courts has received wide public criticism in recent

years, as many worry that this sort of system will always benefit the state-

owned enterprises. It was also reported that the salary for mid-level judges in

the railway courts were double that of their local counterparts.

In 2008, a laborer with a mental illness died in a train after being tied up by

the train conductor. A sentence of 2 years imprisonment on the chief conductor

for manslaughter aroused deep suspicion regarding the impartiality of the

railway court. Fifteen experts, lawyers and journalists signed a petition, and

it was given at the National People's Congress, China's top legislative body.

Efforts to reform the railway system began more than 10 years ago, but reforms

moved at a slow pace.

Beijing launched an hourly updated online index of crowds at major tourist sites

on Sunday, the day that China's railway broke its record for the amount of

passengers carried on any single day of a May Day holiday.

The index, launched at bjta.gov.cn on Sunday, the first day of the holiday,

covers six major sites in Beijing, including the Palace Museum, Summer Palace

and Badaling section of the Great Wall. It indicates the size of crowds

according to a five-level system, with level five being the most crowded.

The Palace Museum, which had the more visitors than the other sites on Sunday -

10,100 people, or 26 percent more than the same day last year - was labeled

level four.

"There were so many people at the Palace Museum that we just moved forward with

the crowd step by step," said Joaquin Couchot, an 18-year-old exchange student

from Chile, who came to Beijing with his four friends for the first time.

"The buildings are magnificent, but I didn't expect that crowd. I should have

taken my Chinese friends' advice about visiting on a normal weekend," he said

loudly, to be heard above the crowd.

Most tourists hadn't heard of the index. Liu Jing, a postgraduate student at

Peking University, said she and her friend wanted to go boating at the Summer

Palace on Sunday but the lines were just too long.

"We bought the tickets from scalpers, though they charged an extra 5 yuan (80

cents). The multitude lined up in front scared me," she said.

However, Liu suggested that the index might not deter tourists from visiting

heavily crowded sites. "Visitors come here with an awareness of the large

crowds, and they may not have a chance to come at another time. So they have

little choice but to squeeze into the throng of people visiting the sites."

More than 1 million people visited 24 sites in Beijing on Monday, 2.9 percent

more than the same day last year, according to the Beijing Travel Committee. On

Sunday, those sites had 675,000 visitors.

Beijing is ranked third in the top 10 list of Chinese tourist destinations

during the three-day May Day holiday, according to a report released by the

China Tourism Academy and ctrip.com, a travel information website, in late

April.

The report - based on hotel and flight reservations, Web surfing and searches

and online surveys - said coastal cities such as Sanya in Hainan province and

Xiamen in Fujian province are the most attractive for tourists and will get the

most visitors. Shanghai, Hangzhou, in Zhejiang province, and Jiuzhaigou, in

Sichuan province, are also in the top 10.

China's railways carried 8.2 million passengers on Sunday, according to Xinhua

News Agency, more than any other single day in a May Day holiday.

Shanghai saw more rail passengers than anywhere else in China: 1.55 million, 18

percent of the Chinese rail passengers that day.

The Ministry of Transportation predicted on Friday that the railway network

would carry around 31.1 million passengers during the holiday, 2.42 million more

than in 2011.

Passengers will soon enjoy discounts when buying business class tickets and

premium seats on high-speed trains operating on two lines in East China.

Experts said passengers will benefit from a more market-oriented operation of

high-speed railways, following the Ministry of Railways' decision to ease its

grip over railway management.

The Shanghai Railway Bureau on Monday announced through its Sina Weibo micro

blog that business class tickets on high-speed trains on the Shanghai-Nanjing

and Shanghai-Hangzhou lines will be reduced by 30 percent between May 18 and

June 20.

Tickets for premium seats on the two lines over the same period will be cut by

10 percent.

That means a business class ticket from Shanghai to Nanjing, roughly priced at

438 yuan ($70), will now be available for 307 yuan. A premium seat on the same

route costs 263 yuan, and the discounted price will be 237 yuan.

Business class and premium seats account for 2 percent of a high-speed train's

total capacity.

The rail bureau said that the policy involves 55 trains running on the Shanghai

-Nanjing line and 61 trains on Shanghai-Hangzhou line. Some of the discounts are

only available when passengers buy tickets seven to 12 days in advance of the

departure date.

The bureau added that the special price policy is subject to change in the

future, which will be decided by market demands.

Industry insiders said this is the first time that the country's high-speed

railways have given discounts to passengers, despite calls from the public for

lower ticket prices in the past couple of years.

Many Web users have posted photos online showing empty compartments on high-

speed trains. There have also been people demanding the railway ministry give

discounts to frequent riders and students, who used to enjoy cheaper ticket

prices on slower trains.

Yang Hao, a professor at Beijing Jiaotong University, believes that the

discounts are now being offered because the Railways Ministry has loosened its

grip on daily railway transport organization and management.

"The ministry has finally come to realize what its role should be and made

reforms earlier this year," he said.

The ministry now focuses on policymaking and supervision, and local railway

bureaus have taken over the job of setting prices as well as the responsibility

of railway safety, he said.

"It will become a trend, as other railway bureaus follow Shanghai's lead and

make more market-oriented moves in future operations," he said.

But many passengers interviewed on Tuesday said the price reduction may not

necessarily make the expensive tickets easy to sell.

"It's only about an hour's ride from Wuxi (in Jiangsu province) to Shanghai.

It's common to stand an hour on the subway in Shanghai, so I don't mind standing

on the train," said Su Da, 32, a Wuxi native and an apparel retailer, who

replenishes her stock from Shanghai every week.

"Some people bought first-class tickets during Spring Festival travel season

when all the ones at fair prices were snapped up," she said. "But I've never

seen people in the luxurious carriage."

Shi Bin, 54, a manager of a real estate company who travels between Shanghai and

Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, every weekend, said he felt comfortable

enough in the second-class seats because there are often just several people

scattered in a car.

"It's like one passenger owns the seats in three rows," he said.

He and many other netizens called for the railway authority to cut prices on

other tickets, too.

"It is a common desire of passengers to buy tickets at a discount. Railway

ticket prices have risen sharply in the past decade with the upgrading of

trains, but we don't feel the advantage of speed on a short trip with several

stops," he said.

Residents of Wuhan are divided over a proposal by the city government to ban

eating or taking pets on its first subway, which is scheduled to open by the end

of the year.

Other behaviors that are deemed possibly damaging to the environment in subway

stations or that could interfere with the subway's smooth operation are also

banned, such as graffiti, begging or taking balloons onto the train, according

to the proposal. It was made public on Monday by the Legislative Affairs Office

of Wuhan, the largest city in Central China.

Violations can result in a fine of 50 yuan ($8) to 100 yuan, while serious

violators, such as those who build inside subway stations without prior consent,

may face fines of 100,000 yuan and criminal charges in extreme cases. Subway

operators will also be fined, if they fail to respond to complaints of

passengers.

"We learned from other cities at home and abroad with subway operation

experience before making this regulation," said Zhang Gewen, an official of the

city's legislative affairs office, which is in charge of formulating the

regulation.

"For example, we intend to ban eating food onboard to prevent contamination on

the train. Besides, some food, such as instant noodles, can produce a strong

smell in the train, which is largely sealed."

Few cities in China impose fines on those who eat in the subway, with the

exception of Hong Kong, which levies fines of up to HK$ 2,000 ($260) on

violators.

In January, a video recording of a heated quarrel between several Hong Kong

residents and a mother from Chinese mainland stirred much discussion on the

Internet. The dispute occurred when Hong Kong residents complained about the

woman's daughter eating on a subway train in Hong Kong.

In Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu province, there are regulations

forbidding eating in subways, but punishments are rarely given out because "we

encourage the residents to follow the rules voluntarily," according to the

hotline of Nanjing Subway.

However, most of the regulations made by the Wuhan government are commonly

adopted by subway operators in China, such as banning pets from entering the

train, said Zhang.

Zhang said it is necessary to formulate such rules to better manage the system

because a new subway line will be put into service in the city every year for

the next few years.

"After soliciting public opinion, the proposal will be submitted to a higher

authority and then to the provincial People's Congress for approval," said

Zhang. "It may take effect at the start of next year, if all goes well."

"I think it's right to issue such a regulation," said Zheng Lifang, a doctor in

Wuhan.

Some have different opinions.

"I don't think eating chocolate or chewing gum bothers others and should be

fined," said Chen Sihan, a human resources manager in Wuhan.

"I support a ban on eating food in the subway because instant noodles can

produce a smell that spreads," said Chen Ting, a 25-year-old resident of the

city. "But I doubt whether the regulation can be carried out. Who will monitor

and punish those eating on the train?"

CSR, one of China's largest rolling stock manufacturers, recently won a bid to produce high-speed railway trains in Hong Kong, which are expected to reach a top speed of 350 kilometers per hour (217 miles per hour).

CSR beat out several industry giants, such as Siemens, in the bid, and will produce the control system as well as the trains for the project.

Experts say the company was able to win the bid because it values technological innovation. According to Gong Ming, the company's chief engineer, every year CSR spends billions of yuan in researching and developing new technology.

China will develop faster and smarter high-speed trains offering passengers a wide variety of choices, according to a special plan for the country’s high-speed train technology development during the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-2015) recently released by the Ministry of Science and Technology. The country’s high-speed rail development has entered “a second spring” after an “unexpected brake.”

Priority given to technological development

Smarter high-speed trains

The special plan noted that during the 12th Five-Year Plan period, the country will make efforts to improve the safety of high-speed railways, develop a wide variety of intelligent and energy-efficient high-speed trains, ensure the sustainable development of high-speed rail technologies, and master the key technologies for high-speed trains and related equipment.

Intelligent technology will allow trains’ monitoring, speed control, condition determination, and fault detection operations to be conducted digitally, said Ding Rongjun, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and general manager of CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Research Institute Company.

The top speed of a high-speed test train developed by CSR Corporation recently increased from 500 kilometers per hour to 575 kilometers per hour. “The test train integrates various technologies such as Ethernet and the Internet of Things, and can directly determine specific weather conditions. After it is struck by lightning, the train can automatically adjust its speed and optimize related operations to ensure safety,” said Zhao Xiaogang, chairman of CSR Corporation.

In order to reduce smart trains’ energy consumption, the country will carry out research in new traction drive technology based on permanent magnetic motors, according to the special plan. Ding explained that the new traction drive technology featuring fast energy transmission and low energy losses can reduce trains’ energy consumption by more than 15 percent as there is no physical contact between the transmission movable parts.

CHINA: CNR Dalian has begun delivering 23 six-car Type B trains for Tianjin metro Line 2. 

The air-conditioned trains have a total capacity of 1832 passengers and top speed of 80 km/h. They will be equipped for automatic train operation, with 2 min headways. 

The 22·8 km east-west Line 2 will run from the main station to the airport economic zone, with 18 of its 19 stations underground.

Police here will set up China’s first subway fire brigade to better ensure the safety of subway lines that millions use each day.

The brigade will be responsible for supervising, checking and eliminating fire hazards in Beijing’s 15 subway lines, conducting emergency rescue and fire-fighting missions.
The fire-fighting responsibilities of the subway lines are currently shouldered by the fire brigade of each district, depending on the location of the fire.

Beijing has 15 subways covering a length of 372 km. The highest number of daily subway riders has been 7.6 million.

For instance, about 80 percent of equipment that make integrated circuit chips were imported, according to previous media reports.

The nation has called for more investment and innovation to boost independent manufacturing. The plan revealed that in 2010, the nation's rail traffic equipment producers put nearly four percent of their sales revenue into research and development of new technologies.

The plan says that the nation's rail traffic will boom in coming five to 10 years with a large demand for various equipments. It estimates that the nation will consume more than 1,000 electric multiple units and about 5,000 locomotives from 2011 to 2015.

In recent years, urban rail systems have expanded fast across China as stifling pollution and traffic congestion has become a development bottleneck of the world's second largest economy.

By the end of 2010, 13 cities opened 49 railways with a mileage of 1,425.5 kilometers. The lines are sprawling. China now tops the world in the construction of urban railways, with an average annual new mileage of 270 kilometers.

By 2015, the nation's urban rail system will have a total length of more than 2,700 kilometers, the plan says.

Meanwhile, overseas demand was forecast to grow as many countries are also building new lines or upgrading old ones.

The global rail traffic equipment market will grow by 3 percent on average each year by 2015, with an annual demand averaging more than 100 billion euros ($130 billion), the plan says, citing forecasts of the Association of the European Rail Industry.

In the five-year plan, the ministry predicted that the industry's annual sales value will exceed 400 billion yuan ($63 billion) every year and investment by backbone enterprises in research and development will exceed 5 percent of their annual sales by 2015.

By 2020, the industry's annual sales value would exceed 650 billion yuan and investment in research and development would exceed 6 percent of annual sales, it said.

Xiamen is entering a new ear of bullet train travel following the launch of several high-speed railways, reports Xiamen Evening News.

Following Fuzhou-Xiamen High-speed Railway open to traffic on 26th April, 2010, Longyan-Xiamen Railway, which is composed of Longyan- Zhangzhou South section and Zhangzhou South-Xiamen section, is expected to be open to traffic on 30th June, 2012.

With a designed speed of 200km/h, the travel time from Xiamen to Longyan by train will be shortened to 50 minutes from the current 4 hours upon its completion. The railway will play a significant role in transportation in both the south and west of Fujian by that time.

Meanwhile, Xiamen-Shenzhen Railway, another important section of the coastal railway artery in China, is expected to be open to traffic by the end of this year or early next year.

Travel agencies in Xiamen have geared up for various tours in response to the opening of Longyan-Xiamen Railway and Xiamen-Shenzhen Railway, aiming to attract more tourists.

"Zhangzhou and Longyan, which only used to be destinations, will become great source of tourism for Xiamen after the opening of high-speed railways", said an insider.

China will continue with research and development into its new generation high-speed trains despite the industry's tarnished image due to a spate of operation faults last year, according to a plan for the country's rail traffic equipment manufacturing industry.

The new generation trains will run at speeds of more than 300 km an hour, according to the five-year plan for the industry for the 2011-2015 period, which was released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Monday.

The plan underscores the reliability, comfort and maintainability of passenger rail transportation equipment. It requires thorough research and development of key technologies and systems related to rail traffic.

The fast development of high-speed trains came under question after frequent operation failures and a fatal crash.

On July 23 last year, a high-speed train slammed into a stalled train  near the eastern city of Wenzhou, leaving 40 people dead and 172 injured. The incident was blamed on faulty signaling equipment.

Construction of high-speed trains and railways cooled sharply after the State Council, or China's cabinet, ordered slower operational speeds in the wake of the crash.

Trains with a maximum speed of 350 km per hour (kph) were ordered to run no faster than 300 kph, while those with a maximum speed of 250 kph had to run at no more than 200 kph.

Some analysts then predicted the accident would hamper the nation's exports of high-speed train technologies.

But contrary to these concerns, China has continued to export a wide range of equipment including electric multiple units, urban rail vehicles, steam locomotives, large road maintenance equipment to many countries such as Russia, Australia, Brazil, India, Argentina, Turkey, Iran and Malaysia.

"Compared to other high-end equipment manufacturing industries, the high-speed rail sector has a better industry foundation. It is also the easiest in terms of safety control," said Yuan Gangming, a researcher with Tsinghua University.

From 2006 to 2010, China enjoyed an average annual growth rate of 31.9 percent in the sales value of rail traffic equipments. The nation is capable of producing 2,000 high-power locomotives, 8,000 passenger rail vehicles and 60,000 freight wagons every year.

Nevertheless, like in other high-end equipment manufacturing industries, the nation lacks independent property rights in the rail transportation equipment sector.

For instance, about 80 percent of equipment that make integrated circuit chips were imported, according to previous media reports.

The nation has called for more investment and innovation to boost independent manufacturing. The plan revealed that in 2010, the nation's rail traffic equipment producers put nearly four percent of their sales revenue into research and development of new technologies.

The plan says that the nation's rail traffic will boom in coming five to 10 years with a large demand for various equipments. It estimates that the nation will consume more than 1,000 electric multiple units and about 5,000 locomotives from 2011 to 2015.

In recent years, urban rail systems have expanded fast across China as stifling pollution and traffic congestion has become a development bottleneck of the world's second largest economy.

By the end of 2010, 13 cities opened 49 railways with a mileage of 1,425.5 kilometers. The lines are sprawling. China now tops the world in the construction of urban railways, with an average annual new mileage of 270 kilometers.

By 2015, the nation's urban rail system will have a total length of more than 2,700 kilometers, the plan says.

Meanwhile, overseas demand was forecast to grow as many countries are also building new lines or upgrading old ones.

The global rail traffic equipment market will grow by 3 percent on average each year by 2015, with an annual demand averaging more than 100 billion euros ($130 billion), the plan says, citing forecasts of the Association of the European Rail Industry.

In the five-year plan, the ministry predicted that the industry's annual sales value will exceed 400 billion yuan ($63 billion) every year and investment by backbone enterprises in research and development will exceed 5 percent of their annual sales by 2015.

By 2020, the industry's annual sales value would exceed 650 billion yuan and investment in research and development would exceed 6 percent of annual sales, it said.

Passengers will soon enjoy discounts when buying business class tickets and premium seats on high-speed trains operating on two lines in East China.

Experts said passengers will benefit from a more market-oriented operation of high-speed railways, following the Ministry of Railways' decision to ease its grip over railway management.

The Shanghai Railway Bureau on Monday announced through its Sina Weibo micro blog that business class tickets on high-speed trains on the Shanghai-Nanjing and Shanghai-Hangzhou lines will be reduced by 30 percent between May 18 and June 20.

Tickets for premium seats on the two lines over the same period will be cut by 10 percent.

That means a business class ticket from Shanghai to Nanjing, roughly priced at 438 yuan ($70), will now be available for 307 yuan. A premium seat on the same route costs 263 yuan, and the discounted price will be 237 yuan.

Business class and premium seats account for 2 percent of a high-speed train's total capacity.

The rail bureau said that the policy involves 55 trains running on the Shanghai-Nanjing line and 61 trains on Shanghai-Hangzhou line. Some of the discounts are only available when passengers buy tickets seven to 12 days in advance of the departure date.

The bureau added that the special price policy is subject to change in the future, which will be decided by market demands.

Industry insiders said this is the first time that the country's high-speed railways have given discounts to passengers, despite calls from the public for lower ticket prices in the past couple of years.

Many Web users have posted photos online showing empty compartments on high-speed trains. There have also been people demanding the railway ministry give discounts to frequent riders and students, who used to enjoy cheaper ticket prices on slower trains.

Yang Hao, a professor at Beijing Jiaotong University, believes that the discounts are now being offered because the Railways Ministry has loosened its grip on daily railway transport organization and management.

"The ministry has finally come to realize what its role should be and made reforms earlier this year," he said.

The ministry now focuses on policymaking and supervision, and local railway bureaus have taken over the job of setting prices as well as the responsibility of railway safety, he said.

"It will become a trend, as other railway bureaus follow Shanghai's lead and make more market-oriented moves in future operations," he said.

But many passengers interviewed on Tuesday said the price reduction may not necessarily make the expensive tickets easy to sell.

"It's only about an hour's ride from Wuxi (in Jiangsu province) to Shanghai. It's common to stand an hour on the subway in Shanghai, so I don't mind standing on the train," said Su Da, 32, a Wuxi native and an apparel retailer, who replenishes her stock from Shanghai every week.

"Some people bought first-class tickets during Spring Festival travel season when all the ones at fair prices were snapped up," she said. "But I've never seen people in the luxurious carriage."

Shi Bin, 54, a manager of a real estate company who travels between Shanghai and Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, every weekend, said he felt comfortable enough in the second-class seats because there are often just several people scattered in a car.

"It's like one passenger owns the seats in three rows," he said.

He and many other netizens called for the railway authority to cut prices on other tickets, too.

"It is a common desire of passengers to buy tickets at a discount. Railway ticket prices have risen sharply in the past decade with the upgrading of trains, but we don't feel the advantage of speed on a short trip with several stops," he said.

More than 49 million people have traveled on the Qinghai-Tibet railway, the world's highest, since the route opened in July 2006, the railway company said Monday.

Passengers on the Qinghai-Tibet railway have increased on average 10.3 percent annually, said Wang Tao, spokesman with the Xining-based Qinghai-Tibet Railway Company.

The number of passengers taking the train has increased from 6.4 million in 2006 to 10 million in 2011, said Wang.

The high-elevation railway that connects Xining, capital of Qinghai province, to Tibet's capital Lhasa, also transported 40 million tonnes of cargo in 2011, up 8 percent year-on-year.

Tourism in Tibet autonomous region in southwestern China has boomed since the 1,956-km railway went into operation six years ago. In 2011, a total of 8.6 million tourists visited Tibet.

By the end of the 2011-2015 period, it is expected that Tibet and Qinghai will receive annual tourist arrivals of 15 and 20 million respectively.

China is looking to expand the sales revenue of its high-end equipment manufacturing sector to six trillion yuan ($951 billion) by 2015, according to the industry’s 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15) published on Monday by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Sales of high-end equipment will account for 15 percent of the overall revenue of equipment manufacturing industry, and help generate 28 percent of industrial added value, together with a larger share of the global market, according to the plan on the ministry’s website.

By 2020, the proportion of revenue will expand to 25 percent, while the industrial added value part will grow another two percentage points, which will make high-end equipment manufacturing a pillar industry of the world’s second-largest economy.

High-end equipment mainly refers to aviation equipment, satellite and applications, railway transportation equipment, marine engineering equipment, and intelligent manufacturing equipment.

In 2010, the sales income of high-end equipment in China was 1.6 trillion yuan, which accounted for 8 percent of the total revenue of the equipment manufacturing industry.

The boom in the sector was attributed to China’s fast-growing industrial economy, which had the top position worldwide for two years in a row since 2009, according to the ministry.

Aircraft manufacturing will be one of the key growth areas, as the plan vowed to launch a new regional aircraft research project, while seeking an annual sales volume of 100 planes in the next three years by accelerating the innovation and promotion of existing models such as ARJ-21 and MA 60.

Meanwhile, China will continue its investment in high-speed railway innovation and the exploration of global markets, in order to establish its railway transportation industry as the world leader.

Supportive policies such as tax cuts on imports of raw materials and vital spare parts will be issued, and more financial resources will be directed to high-end equipment manufacturers to facilitate their development, according to the plan.
-China is looking to expand the sales revenue of its high-end equipment manufacturing sector to six trillion yuan ($951 billion) by 2015, according to the industry’s 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15) published on Monday by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Sales of high-end equipment will account for 15 percent of the overall revenue of equipment manufacturing industry, and help generate 28 percent of industrial added value, together with a larger share of the global market, according to the plan on the ministry’s website.

By 2020, the proportion of revenue will expand to 25 percent, while the industrial added value part will grow another two percentage points, which will make high-end equipment manufacturing a pillar industry of the world’s second-largest economy.

High-end equipment mainly refers to aviation equipment, satellite and applications, railway transportation equipment, marine engineering equipment, and intelligent manufacturing equipment.

In 2010, the sales income of high-end equipment in China was 1.6 trillion yuan, which accounted for 8 percent of the total revenue of the equipment manufacturing industry.

The boom in the sector was attributed to China’s fast-growing industrial economy, which had the top position worldwide for two years in a row since 2009, according to the ministry.

Aircraft manufacturing will be one of the key growth areas, as the plan vowed to launch a new regional aircraft research project, while seeking an annual sales volume of 100 planes in the next three years by accelerating the innovation and promotion of existing models such as ARJ-21 and MA 60.

Meanwhile, China will continue its investment in high-speed railway innovation and the exploration of global markets, in order to establish its railway transportation industry as the world leader.

Supportive policies such as tax cuts on imports of raw materials and vital spare parts will be issued, and more financial resources will be directed to high-end equipment manufacturers to facilitate their development, according to the plan.

On March 29, Chinese version of well-known American business magazine “Fortune” released the list of “TOP 50 Most Influential Business Leaders”. Zhao Xiaogang, Chairman of China South Locomotive & Rolling Stock Corporation, is selected on the list.

“Fortune” states, “The catastrophic accident last year led to controversy about the development of high-speed rail in China. For the same reason, CSR’s later 500-km/h “Experimental MU” did not usher in much acclaim. However, as the head of China South Locomotive and Rolling, Zhao Xiaogang has never doubted that the development of the railway will be an important engine of China’s economic development in the next five years. In the dialogue with the media, he mentions the development of high-speed rail in the United States is restrained by the mature aviation industry, while Chinese civil aviation, highways and high-speed rail complement each other. The development of railway is essential to reducing the high cost of logistics in China.”

“Fortune” magazine is subordinate to the Time Inc. of Time Warner Group. It mainly publishes research articles on economic problems and has profound influence in the economic sector.

On the released list of “Top 50 Most Influential Business Leaders”, Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei ranks first, followed by Liu Chuanzhi, Chairman of Legend Holdings, and Zhang Ruimin, Chairman of Haier. “Fortune” points out that the business influence in Asia is shifting from Japan to China, and the trend that Chinese entrepreneurs will become an important force in the global business community is increasingly evident.