The opening of a new 220-mph high speed train and the peak energy production at the Three Gorges Dam shows that China's been able to successfully launch major infrastructure project faster than the rest of the world.
"The successes demonstrate how, after decades of acquiring technology from the west, Beijing has begun to push the limits of its new capabilities, setting the bar higher on mega-projects as it seeks to promote the image of a powerful, modern China. But many of these initiatives have come at great human and environmental cost, and some have questioned whether the country fosters a sufficiently innovative spirit to compete on the next level.
Still in the works: more nuclear power plants, a gargantuan project to pump river water from the fertile south to the arid north, and a $32.5 billion, 820-mile (1,300-kilometer) Beijing-to-Shanghai high-speed railway that is scheduled to open in 2012."
Officials are hoping to position themselves as models for the rest of the world -- and possibly partners.
FULL STORY: Booming China shows off its 220 mph train
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