CHINA'S FOREIGN ECONOMIC PROJECTS IN THE RAILWAY SECTOR

In: Eastern Analytics, Band 13, Heft 1 (2022), S. 48-66

Abstract

China, long before the Belt and Road Initatve was announced, formed a strategic plan for the constructon of internatonal railways. Afer the Chinese government formally proposed a strategy for Chinese high‑speed rail to enter the overseas high‑speed rail market in 2009, the actvity of Chinese railway constructon contnues to grow. The PRC has accelerated the modernizaton of its internal railways and has created the world's most advanced high‑speed rail system. The unifcaton and standardizaton of the constructon process of high‑speed railways, rolling stock, infrastructure facilites and new technologies within the framework of the «Made in China» program has made it possible to create a unique world‑class product – high‑speed railways of the Chinese standard and enter the internatonal market with it. The Belt and Road Initatve not only provided additonal acceleraton, but also created a theoretcal basis for the «prestge» of partcipaton in the initatve. As part of the Belt and Road Initatve, the internatonalizaton of China's railway standards has yielded positve results. Many BRI rail projects have been completed and operatonal. As a rule, not only Chinese technical standards are used in constructon, but also basic engineering materials, rolling stock, engineering and constructon equipment, Chinese builders and maintenance personnel. But the PRC's energetc actons in promotng the Belt and Road Initatve cannot be called unimpeded. Many projects with Chinese partcipaton remain untl the tme in the form of agreements or for various reasons, fnancial, domestc politcal, technical and reasons of "lack of a common vision" are postponed or suspended. The artcle examines the major rail constructon projects with Chinese partcipaton, completed and under constructon, in Eurasia, Africa and South America.