Chinese high-speed trains venture overseas

History of high-speed rail in China is not long. The first line, linking Beijing and the neighboring port city of Tianjin, was inaugurated in August 2008.

On July 23, 2011, 40 people died when a high-speed train hit a stationary train near Wenzhou, casting a shadow over high-speed railways and leading to a nationwide safety check and stagnation of construction.

Last year, China cautiously resumed construction, culminating in the  Beijing-Guangzhou link, the longest of its kind in the world.

Wang Mengshu, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a railway expert, said China stepped up railway system management after the 2011 accident, sticking to construction schedules which guaranteed safety.

"High-speed rail now has a more solid foundation." Wang said.

With public confidence recovering, the comfortable cabins and punctuality of the trains have made it an enormously popular way of travel.

Passenger volume on the Beijing-Shanghai line rose 40 percent during the second year of operations.

Thanks to the domestic success, production and construction on a large scale has lowered costs to about 200 million yuan (33 million U.S. dollars) per km, more competitive than Japan, UK and Germany, according to Wang Mengshu.

Last week, the state-owned train maker, CSR, announced an Italian order meaning Chinese high-speed rail core components are making their way into the European market.

China should become a high-speed train supplier on a more comprehensive level, exporting not only equipment, but also technology and Chinese railway standards, Wang said.

Li Hongchang, railway expert and economics professor from Beijing Jiaotong University, said high-speed rail "going abroad" is anything but simple. It involves juggling trade, finance and energy concerns and requires efforts from governments on both sides, Li said.