I heard a story while in Singapore in August 2016 which is rather disturbing. Apparently, Singapore purchased some Metro train sets (admittedly not HSR, but indicative) from China. They were delivered with fanfare. It was later discovered that they had cracks in their bogies. They were returned to China for repair with the reverse of fanfare. The repairs are being carried out by the Japanese. This coincides with stories in Australia about poor quality workmanship on fabricated steel imports from China.
Australians are proud of the safety record of their airline, Qantas. It is highly valued in a country that flies above its weight. Safety for HSR would be equally important. The Japanese record for quality control and safety is generational and greater than the Chinese. It is of serious concern for HSR in Australia. It may not be fatal to Chinese interests here, if they can institute first class quality control and safety for HSR. Never-the-less, the Japanese are far ahead.
PJK©19.8.16
