The ultra-speed railroad between Beijing and Shanghai will rely on China's independent development and market-oriented investment.

The Railways Minister Liu Zhijun made it clear that a limited company would be incorporated which is to be funded by private, corporate and foreign investment and controlled by Chinese stakes.

Wang Qingyun, director of the transportation department of the National Development and Reform Commission, says the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway is the landmark of and preludes the take-off of the country's railway industrialization.

There is no doubt that independent innovation is the way China will choose to develop its high-speed rail. However, it also tends to introduce advanced mature technology from foreign countries which have 30 to 40 years' experience of high-speed rail development.

Localization will be achieved as much as possible on that basis. Domestic enterprises are expected to improve their capability of independent innovation. It will also give a boost to other relevant industries such as mechanics, electronics, electrics and iron and steel.

Over the past ten years, China has made breakthroughs on its own new technologies. It has developed high-speed trains including the China Star, Pioneer and Mount Changbai.

It is crucial for China's high-speed rail program to combine the introduction of foreign technologies and localization. Another important thing is to attract and cultivate talents in the high tech sector.

It took ten years to verify the project from the feasibility study to the approval. Controversies were swirling around two options: maglev and wheel from 1998. Experts preferring maglev stressed the energy efficiency, environmental friendliness, fast starting and braking as well as safety and comfort to be brought about by the maglev while their wheel rail colleagues reasoned their choice as more suitable for China's situation due to its better compatibility and economical cost.

Cost and technical transfer finally count the most. Maglev, albeit advanced and fast up to 500 kilometer per hour, is too expensive and is monopolized by Germany which has been very reluctant to make any concession on the IP transfer. But Germany faces strong competition on wheel rail from Japan and France.

The central government finally approved the high-speed project after a basic consensus had been reached from the ten-year discussion.

By People's Daily Online