The US will strengthen cooperation with China on high-speed railway construction by introducing China's technology, Chinese railway official said recently, according to China Economic Net on Thursday.

The official, Zhang Shuguang, the vice chief engineer of China's Railway Ministry did not elaborate on what sort of technology or when it would be shared with the US, except to say the two sides are discussing the creation of a "concrete" framework to guide the further collaboration.

Some US officials inspected China’s first intercity high speed railway between Beijing and Tianjin during their visit recently, he noted, including the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, John Kerry, and the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.

The appeal for the United States is easy to understand, Zhang said: China's technology is safe, reliable, and design and construction costs are usually 20 percent cheaper than other countries.

The United States is not the only country to show interest in China's rail system. Within the last year, leaders from more than 30 countries have inspected the operation of the country's intercity railway, including India and Brazil.

(chinadaily.com.cn August 1, 2009)