China to Allow Social Capital in Railway Sector

　　The central government here in China has outlined how it intends to allow social investment into the railway sector¹.

 

　　CRI's He Fei has more.

 

　　A guideline has issued by the central government on how to innovate² railway funding and speed up railway construction.

 

　　The guideline suggests that ownership and management of intercity railways or rail lines in suburban³ areas can be opened up to local governments or private investment.

 

　　Researcher Wang Jun from the China Center For International Economic Exchange says the central government is targeting the construction of railways to try to boost local economies.

 

　　"China's central and western regions seriously lack the construction of railway coverage⁴. But we are now also facing financial problems, including how to lower the high debt in the railway sector."

 

　　Earlier this month, the China Railway Corporation, which replaced the Ministry⁵ of Railways, set an investment target of up to 660 billion yuan in the overall railway sector this year.

 

　　As part of the plan, the central government will give subsidies⁶ to the state-owned corporation over the next 3-years.

 

　　This is part of the broader attempt by the government to make this country's state-dominated sectors⁷, such as the railway sector, more market-oriented.

 

　　Professor Peng Qiyuan is from Jiaotong University.

 

　　"If the railway system wants to be more opened up to the market, the threshold lies in the price. The central government can fix an institutional price, which can be floating according to the market needs. This kind of pricing mechanism⁸ can bring more benefits to passengers and further promote the development of the railway sector."

 

　　The new plans also call for the creation of a railway development fund to support national railway projects.

 

　　The fund will be set up with cash from both the central government and other social investment vehicles.

 

　　For CRI, this is He Fei.

1 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

2 innovate   

v.革新，变革，创始

参考例句：

• We must innovate in order to make progress.我们必须改革以便取得进步。
• It is necessary to innovate and develop military theories.创新和发展军事理论是必要的。

3 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

4 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

6 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。