Japan was the best with its Shinkansen high speed trains in the past. Because of the head start, every country thinks very highly of Japanese trains. Everyone wants the Japanese to build their train networks, the best in the world, so they thought. Japan hurriedly signed up India, Vietnam, Thailand and England. Some countries dumped China in favour of Japan. Japan had a track record that dates back to the 1970s. Everything Japanese is of good quality and the best.
China was not the first choice for many countries despite being good and cheap. China actually was in the run for the Indian, Thai and Vietnamese high speed train projects but lost out to the Japanese. China managed only to cling deals with Laos, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and of course the BRI network across Asia to Europe and Africa.
China and Japan signed the projects about the same time. Today, the trains in Saudi Arabia, in Africa and in Laos are running happily. The trains in Indonesia will begin operation in June, now doing final testing. What about the trains built by the Japanese in India, Vietnam, Thailand and England? The Japanese built trains in England are hanging on the hangers for drying due to flooding. Heard they have been sent to the cleaners for good.
The trains in India, Thailand and Vietnam are still waiting to be seen. The tracks are still partially laid or unlaid. The delivery dates have been postponed and postponed, maybe they are thinking of 2040 to take delivery. Or have the projects been scrapped?
Where are the world famous Shinkansen trains in Asia or Southeast Asia? Or they can only be seen in Japan? The countries that chose Japan over China for quality and reliability are still waiting and hoping for the trains to arrive.
The moral of the story, Japan cannot deliver. China will deliver. Any country still trust Japanese quality and reliability? Britain begging China to build its 200b pound train. China rejected. China also rejected India and Vietnam to takeover from the failed projects that Japan cannot deliver.
PS. China was to build the biggest port for Tanzania. The project was cancelled and offered to UK and Japan that promised the Tanzanians the sky. After a few years lapsed, the Tanzanians found out that they were fooled by the Brits and the Japs, both just wanted to disrupt the Chinese project but had no intention to build the port for Tanzania. Tanzania ended waiting for a port that would not come. How silly for trusting the Brits and the Japs.
Latest, China has forgiven the Tanzanians and reviving the port which is meant to be the gateway to Central Africa, the biggest port in Africa, bigger than Rotterdam. The Tanzanians wasted 10 good years for nothing, for falling to the lies and mischievous plot of the Brits and the Japanese.
In fact, China should avoid projects in UK and India. Now that even Little Britain is Indianised, more reason for China to avoid.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many projects for China in Africa, Latin and Central America, Middle East and now Central Asia.
Also China must be wary of doing projects in untrustworthy countries like the Philippines. Not worth the risk.
Agree. PH especially.
DeletePH umder Marcos Jr is a double headed snake. One momemt sweet talk Beijing into giving economic deals, next giving daddy US 4 additional military bases with 2 within sight of Taiwan.
DeleteAlso deliberately stir up hostility.and confromtation by taking hordes of western journalists to confront Chinese ships in coastal waters.
China has rejected the Indian, Brits and Vietnamese high speed train projects.
ReplyDeleteChina is building high speed trains all around India, just like the BRI, without India. That should speak a lot about India.
China may also reject the Philippines train project. Sara Duterte better take over from Marcos Jr fast. She has resigned from the party of Marcos. Her next move would be to take over the Presidency and resume her father's legacy of an independent Philippines, not beholden and controlled by the Americans and not to turn the Philippines into another American colony.
High speed trains in Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Indonesia, soon in Afghanistan, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.
ReplyDeleteIf Japan failed to deliver the high speed trains to India, the Indians would simply build their own trains. India is an advanced industrial power and its trains would be better, faster and more advanced than the Chinese trains.
ReplyDeleteWhatever the Indians built would be better than China.
Anon 1.09. India technology is now occupied by building tiolets promised by Modi since he came to power.
DeleteThe project is yet to be completed as recent reports of open defecation and urination in public are still common, esp in rural.areas
The latest train accident in India leaves almost 300 dead and many hundreds injured. Is this what the Indians can do better? If it is, they can have that accolade.
DeleteSara Duterte's resignation does not come as a surprise. Her stance is closer to her father, Rodrigo Duterte, who tends to persue a policy of leaning less towards the USA. Lately, however, the behavior of Marcos Jr is contrary to all that. The USA still has a strong hold on Marcos Jr, most glaring of all is the notion that the family's ill gotten wealth is still largely under the USA's control.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, Marcos Jr's ability to garner the support of the Philippine national is also much due to her support and political orientation, and Marcos Jr was therefore leveraging on her support to win the Presidency.
Her resignation was reported to be due to 'Political Powerplay', which can only be due to the geopolitical direction the Philippines is persuing at present. What happened in the election in 2022 in the Philippines was non other than a typical 'regime change' orchestrated by you know who, and a USA appointed stooge is now in charge.
Actually, had the opposition won, Leni Robredo, ironically the incumbent VP under Rodrigo Duterte, another USA cultivated stooge would still become the President. Either way, the USA had the whole ground covered in that election in 2022. This could be an indication why Duterte Sr had on many occasions been facing internal dissent over his relations with China and his crackdown on the drug lords.
Ya, Indian trains are more advanced than Chinese trains. Passengers are able to sit on top, or should I say cling on top and by the side, enjoying the cool breeze. You can't do that with Chinese trains, right? Seeing is believing! I rest my case. You cannot argue with 'fork tongue' beings.
ReplyDeleteHope China does not get involved in the HSR project in Vietnam. Viets are appearing to be pretty ungrateful people. At least the North Koreans do appreciate China's help during the Korean War and regard China as a close friend and ally. In fact North Korea is still trusted by many in Africa for its support during the years of anti colonial movements in Africa and the Africans are grateful. This is not a well know fact.
ReplyDeleteBesides the help given during the Vietnam War by China, Chinese investors are also instrumental in building up the economic base of Vietnam. It is ironic that sometimes there are people who still will bite the hand that helps them.
Strait times boosted India will be the chief actor on world stage and Modi really think that
ReplyDeleteIndia a very powerful country, in actual fact the
West is using India as a tool to fight China
LOL, India to build own high speed rail & trains.
ReplyDeleteGood weed you're smokin there.
If India is to build enough toilets for the 70 percent of Indians, it will burst its national budget. There will not be enough left to do anything.
ReplyDeleteIndia's most advanced train technology would be to have excess capacity with passengers sitting on the roof of the trains. This technology will out do all Chinese train technology. It has many advantages like cost savings on air conditioning and bigger passenger space and capacity, more economical to run and operate.