Bullet train wars heat up

NDRC official hardsells China's high-speed rail capabilities and sweetens bid for Indonesian line

China is ready to start construction on the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail project in Indonesia in September and complete the project within 2018, if it wins the contract, Xu Shaoshi, head of the National Development and Reform Commission, the nation's top economic planner, said in Jakarta.

"The financial plan we are offering is cost-effective. The railway would be constructed by joint venture management between China and Indonesia, and the two countries will cooperate in personnel training, technical transformation and construction," Xu said during an official visit to Indonesia.