Foreign leaders ride the rapid rails of China’s technological prowess after SCO summit
Blazing from Tianjin to Beijing on China’s signature high-speed railway, several state leaders are given a glimpse of rapid and lucrative modernisation efforts
Seven state leaders arrived on Monday night: President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko, Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of the Maldives Mohamed Muizzu, President of Mongolia Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, and President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
Arriving on Tuesday were Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Nepali Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, and Myanmar’s acting president, Min Aung Hlaing.
The high-speed journey to Beijing typically takes around 30 minutes from Tianjin, where the SCO gathering was held from Sunday to Monday. The line is considered China’s first modern high-speed railway, with a maximum operating speed of 350km/h (217mph).
All of the heads of state are expected to attend the large-scale military parade that China is set to hold on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of its World War II victory over Japan in 1945.
To get rich, build roads first; to get rich quickly, build high-speed railways
China’s high-speed railway has increasingly become a platform to showcase the country’s economic and technological prowess in recent years, as the nation also looks to expand the rail network overseas.
“Tianjin is close to Beijing, making high-speed rail the optimal travel choice,” said Wang Yiwei, a professor at Renmin University’s School of International Studies.
“This not only showcases China’s advanced infrastructure but also reflects the Chinese path to modernisation, through this high-speed rail system and the industrial clusters along the routes,” he explained. “It effectively illustrates why infrastructure development takes priority.
“To get rich, build roads first; to get rich quickly, build high-speed railways. So, by driving economic growth, security can be pursued through development.”