The deadly collision of two bullet trains in eastern Zhejiang province on Saturday, in which 39 people were killed and another 192 injured, has raised fears not only over the safety of China's fast expanding high-speed rail network but also over its high-speed development under the so-called "China model".
As Chinese officials have made clear, the core of the China model is its political system, which is in essence autocratic, with decisions and policies made by officials without public consultation. Decisions can be made and implemented quickly, making the China model more efficient than any democratic system and explaining to some extent why China hasachieved such high-speed growth over the past 30 years.
However, speed in implementing decisions may not always be a good thing. While public consultation inevitably slows due processes, if mistakes are made in formulating policy, the quicker it is put into practice the more damage it may cause.
Read more: China Bullet Train : Speedy growth lays tracks of tears
A court in North China's Hebei province on Friday sentenced Zhang Chunjiang, former deputy general manager of China Mobile, to death with a two-year reprieve, after he was found of taking bribes.
The Intermediate People's Court of Cangzhou also ordered the confiscation of Zhang's personal assets and stripped him of his political rights.
The court found that Zhang, 53, took 7.46 million yuan ($1.15 million) in bribes between 1994 and 2009 when he was deputy director of the Liaoning provincial postal administration, general manager of China Netcom Group Corporation Ltd, and Party chief as well as deputy general manager of China Mobile.
Read more: Ex-China Mobile official gets suspended death sentence
At least 35 people were killed and 190 others injured in a train crash and derailing accident late Saturday in east China's Zhejiang Province, according to the provincial emergency office.
Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao called for all-out efforts to rescue passengers and ordered to make rescue work a priority, according to a statement posted on the website of the Ministry of Railways.
The latest result of investigation released early Sunday morning by the Zhejiang provincial government showed that the accident occurred at 8:27 pm Saturday at the section of Shuangyu Town in Wenzhou City, when high-speed train D301 crashed into another bullet train D3115. Four coaches of D301 fell off the viaduct.
Read more: Photos: At least 35 dead in E China CRH train crash
China High-speed Rail's D3115 Train has mortal accident at Shuangyu Section near Wenzhou 23rd July 2011 around 20:34.
Read more: Photo: China High-speed Rail Accident Near Wenzhou, Death Toll Unknown
Traffic crawls along Zhongguancun Street during Wednesday evening rush hour. The city's traffic authority said traffic jams have eased.
Private car owners might have to accept higher charges as the city's traffic authority plans to further improve public transport and reduce the use of vehicles to ease traffic congestion.
Liu Xiaoming, director of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport, suggested in a report to the Beijing Municipal People's Congress that the city adopt "both economic and administrative measures" to further reduce the use of private cars and divert private car owners to public transport.
Liu said this should be the city's "primary policy target" in solving traffic congestion.
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