China's high-speed trains a 'must-do' for visiting foreign leaders?

Hu Yijing China Plus Published: 2018-06-01 21:52:01
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Russian President Vladimir Putin is said to visit China soon, and reportedly plans to experience the country's high-speed train service, reports haiwainet.cn, citing a report with Izvestia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin. [File Photo: IC]

Russian President Vladimir Putin. [File Photo: IC]

China's high-speed trains have become a must-have experience for visitors from overseas, including foreign leaders.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and then Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao travel on a high-speed train from Beijing to Tianjin, on August 31, 2012. [File Photo: Xinhua]

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and then Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao travel on a high-speed train from Beijing to Tianjin, on August 31, 2012. [File Photo: Xinhua]

On August 31, 2012, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and then Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao traveled on a high-speed train from Beijing to Tianjin.

Premier Li Keqiang invites the leaders of the Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC) to take a trip on the high-speed train from Suzhou North Railway Station to Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station, on November 25, 2015. [File Photo: Xinhua]

Premier Li Keqiang invites the leaders of the Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC) to take a trip on the high-speed train from Suzhou North Railway Station to Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station, on November 25, 2015. [File Photo: Xinhua]

On the morning of November 25, 2015, Premier Li Keqiang invited the leaders of the Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC) in China for the 4th Summit of China and the CEEC to take a journey together on a high-speed train. The leaders took a 20 minute ride from Suzhou North Railway Station to Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station, covering a distance of about 100 kilometers.

Then Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was on an official visit to China, rides a high-speed train from Beijing to Tianjin, on November 3, 2016. [File Photo: People's Daily]

Then Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was on an official visit to China, rides a high-speed train from Beijing to Tianjin, on November 3, 2016. [File Photo: People's Daily]

At the invitation of Premier Li Keqiang, then Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak paid an official visit to China from October 31 to November 6, 2016. During the trip, the Prime Minister caught a high-speed train from Beijing to Tianjin.

Then Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was on an official visit to China, inspects the cabin of a high-speed train running from Beijing to Tianjin on November 3, 2016. [File Photo: People's Daily]

Then Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was on an official visit to China, inspects the cabin of a high-speed train running from Beijing to Tianjin on November 3, 2016. [File Photo: People's Daily]

On September 16, 2017, ahead of a scheduled official visit to China from September 19 to 21, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told journalists with Xinhua News Agency that he had twice traveled on China's high-speed trains, describing the trips as "quite stable and quite comfortable."

Ahead of an official visit to China, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong accepts an interview with China's Xinhua News Agency in Singapore on September 16, 2017. [File Photo: Xinhua]

Ahead of an official visit to China, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong accepts an interview with China's Xinhua News Agency in Singapore on September 16, 2017. [File Photo: Xinhua]

Lu Dongfu, the general manager of China Railway Corporation, told journalists with Xinhua in January this year that China's high-speed rail network was 25,000 kilometers long at the end of 2017, accounting for 66 percent of the world's total high-speed rail lines.

China Railway Corporation is aiming to build 4,000 kilometers of new rail lines this year, 3,500 kilometers of which will be for high-speed trains.

One of China's high-speed trains. [File Photo: IC]

One of China's high-speed trains. [File Photo: IC]

China's high-speed trains have become well-known around the world, leading to many joint rail projects overseas.

In 2014, China's first overseas high-speed rail project was completed in Turkey, with a 533 kilometer rail link between Ankara and Istanbul.

In October 2015, China and Indonesia signed a joint-venture agreement for the construction and operation of a high-speed rail link between Jakarta and Bandung.

China has also inked agreements for high-speed rail projects in Singapore and Russia.

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