China's New Bullet Train Hits Accusations of Stolen Technology

BEIJING - China's new Beijing to Shanghai bullet train enters service in four days' time, but the technological triumph was tarnished Tuesday by claims of stolen innovation and corruption.

The $34 billion project will cut the existing journey time between the nation's political and financial centers from nine hours and 56 minutes to four hours and 48 minutes. But as the bullet train slid out of Beijing on a recent trial run, claims that it was fundamentally "Made in China" left Germany's Siemens and Japan's Kawasaki fuming about stolen technology.

On board, first-class seats, at about $135, are priced to compete with airfare, but with the promise of cell phone and Wi-Fi access. Beyond first is business class, with a possible nod to the wealth-makers of 21st century China who need flatbed seats and armrest TV screens.

The showcase is only partly aimed at the domestic audience. Many predict a global boom in bullet trains, and China is eager to show that its technology is as competitive as that of the Germans, Japanese and French. When Britain invites tenders for its high-speed rail project, it seems inevitable that a Chinese bidder will be among them.

Not all will approve -- among them Siemens and Kawasaki. Sources at the Japanese trade ministry told The (London) Times that it would look carefully at any contract won by China in Europe or the US, jurisdictions where Japanese companies could more effectively sue for intellectual property infringement.

Rumors of corruption have also been rife. In February, Liu Zhijun, the railways minister, resigned amid claims that he took up to $128 million in kickbacks. China's state auditor revealed that corruption derived from the Beijing to Shanghai line amounted to almost $18 million. Many believe that this figure wildly understates the problem.

Then a former senior engineer at the Railway Ministry said that claims of 240mph (386kph) speeds were "fraudulent," that safety concerns were ignored and that China bought critical parts from abroad. Days later, the operators said that the train would run slower than the minister promised.