[放眼天下]Hong Kong pushed for building express rail link
The Wuhan-Guangzhou section of China's passenger express rail network begins business operation upon completion of construction. This draws wide attention in Hong Kong. Industrial and commercial sectors hope the new rail link could bring more Mainland tourists to Hong Kong. With Wuhan-Guangzhou link opening to traffic, Hong Kong is pressed for building the local section of the (Guangzhou-Hong Kong) express rail link. After a trial trip on the Wuhan-Guangzhou express rail, Secretary for Transport & Housing Eva Cheng said Hong Kong should brook no delay in construction of the local section. With the construction of the local section, Hong Kong will be more conveniently linked with the Mainland express rail network, and more directly share its economic benefits.
China began to build a nationwide high-speed rail network with the launch of its 11th Five-year Plan (2006-2010) For Social and Economic Development. According to the plan, the backbone of the express rail network mainly consists of four north-south trunk lines and four east-west ones, which altogether are some 10,000 kilometres in length. Construction of these eight trunk lines is scheduled to be roughly completed by 2012. The Wuhan-Guangzhou link, the first section of over 1,000 kilometres in length to have been completely built, is part of the north-south trunk line linking Beijing and Hong Kong. Construction of the national passenger express rail network provides a new important stimulus to China's economic development and thus is of great help (for China) to sustain the current economic recovery and to seize the vantage point for post-crisis industrial development. Therefore, it could be said that the construction of the express rail network “was born in a right time”. Direct economic benefits are already quite remarkable. The input of trillions of yuan will boost the development of relevant industries - from research and development (R&D) and manufacturing of engines and other facilities, to laying railroad tracks and related services. This will lend support to numerous enterprises and boost employment, and hence give a strong stimulus to economic growth.
And the indirect benefits from the construction of the high-speed rail network may be even more noteworthy. No wonder some commentaries in the United States have pointed out that its importance would be no less than the Railroad Boom in US (in early 19th century) to develop its vast West. Firstly, the express rail network could strengthen exchanges between various places in the country. This is in favour of the growth of a united market in China, whose efficiency could be improved through division of labour and complementary cooperation between these places. For example, the express rail link makes a one-day round trip possible between Hong Kong and Wuhan. Hence a three- or four-hour economic circle could be formed along the rail link. Secondly, with the express rail network, a transport-oriented development mode could be established to boost development along the rail lines. In Japan, big cities linked by the Shin-kan-sen have formed a quite complete industrial belt. The Wuhan-Guangzhou section is of particular importance. It links three key regions: the Greater Pearl River Delta including Hong Kong and Macau, the Changsha-Xiangtan-Zhuzhou economic zone in Hunan province, and the economic circle formed by Wuhan and surrounding cities. These three regions, each having its own characteristics and advantages, are highly complementary and interactive, and as such their synergies brought about by the express rail link can hardly be overestimated. It may be mentioned here that Wuhan is now reportedly planning to build a cluster of industrial and commercial development projects near the express rail station.
Moreover, high-speed rail is a green project, which is more efficient in saving energy saving and reducing emission. Compared with cars and airplanes, high-speed rail transport has the obvious advantages in saving energy, using less land and emitting less carbon. Therefore, it can not only improve environmental protection but also lower costs and bring “green” economic benefits. This would also help China to honour its emission-reduction commitment made at the Copenhagen climate change conference at the end of last year, improving China's image of “green development” in the world.
Lastly, China's high-speed railway industry has good competitiveness internationally and great potential for export. As China has its own intellectual property rights to the engine, power supply system and rail-track manufacturing, it can export a whole project including technology, product manufacturing, railroad building and maintenance services. China's high-speed railway now is among the most advanced in the world, and countries like the United States and Russia intend to import relevant technologies and products. For instance, China has already signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with some US company for cooperation in this regard.
Obviously, China's achievement in express railway construction and the incurred influence are not limited to the construction of a network and the derived benefits, but could also open a new chapter in world history of railroad construction. At present, only Japan and a couple of European countries (mainly France and Spain) own high-speed rail networks. But due to geographical limitations of these countries, they could not bring the potentials of their high-speed rail networks into full play. After completion of construction, China's express rail network will be the largest in the world, far surpassing other countries including Japan and France. This will further boost technological innovation in China, and given the low cost and economy of scale, the efficiency of China's express rail network will be further raised. The success in building the express rail network also illustrates the powerful strength of the development mode led by independent innovation and technological R&D. Such a mode therefore should be promoted to other important industries so as to upgrade China's manufacturing from low-end, labour-intensive processing to technology- and capital-intensive production. In this way China can be gradually turned from a large manufacturing country into a strong manufacturing power.
06 January 2010
