From the Chinese press

Innovation, not piracy

A report in Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun said recently that the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway was a cheap copy of Shinkansen (or Japan's bullet train network). This is second time since October that the paper has accused China of violating patent laws. On July 7, a spokesman of China's Ministry of Railways responded: "China will never use other nations' creations as its own, so we should not hesitate in applying for a patent", says an article in Guangzhou Daily. Excerpts:

The Foreign Ministry has replied to Japan that the technology of China's high-speed railway, for which it will apply for international patent, is its independent innovation. China's high-speed trains can travel at 350 km, even 380 km, an hour last year, which is much faster than Shinkansen's 220 km an hour. Moreover, many technical data show China's high-speed railway to be superior, and an online article in Los Angeles Times has said China's high-speed trains show its innovation capability.