China's railway fixed-asset investment hits 561 bln yuan in first three quarters

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠China's fixed-asset investment in railway reached 561.2 billion yuan (about 79.42 billion U.S. dollars) during the first three quarters of 2024, marking a year-on-year growth of 10.3 percent, and offering solid support for the country's further economic recovery and growth, according to China's railway operator on Saturday.

Since the beginning of the year, the China State Railway Group has made full use of financial support policies for infrastructure investment, accelerating the construction of a modern railway infrastructure system. By the end of the third quarter, 1,820 kilometers of new railway lines had been completed, including 1,210 kilometers of high-speed rail.

Several new railway lines have already begun operation, including the Meizhou West-Longchuan West section of the Longyan-Longchuan high-speed railway and the Chongqing West-Yibin East section of the Chongqing-Kunming high-speed railway.

Key railway projects, such as the Hefei-Wuhan section of the Shanghai-Chongqing-Chengdu high-speed railway, Pingliang-Qingyang railway in northwest China's Gansu Province, Zhangzhou-Shantou railway, Wenshan-Mengzi railway in southwest China's Yunnan Province, the Nanjing North Railway Station, and the Wuping-Meizhou West section of the Longyan-Longchuan high-speed railway, have commenced construction.

Meanwhile, progress has continued on important railway construction projects, including the Xi'an-Yan'an high-speed railway, the Chongqing East-Qianjiang section of the Chongqing-Xiamen high-speed railway, and the middle line of Chengdu-Chongqing high-speed railway.

Looking ahead, the state railway operator plans to prioritize the opening and operation of additional railway projects, such as the Jingmen-Jingzhou high-speed railway in central China's Hubei Province, the Weifang-Yantai high-speed railway in east China's Shandong Province, the Shanghai-Suzhou-Huzhou high-speed railway in east China, to ensure high-quality completion of this year's railway construction targets.

China's railway fixed-asset investment hits 561 bln yuan in first three quarters

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that Ukraine stands ready to agree to security guarantees based on NATO's Article 5 as part of a compromise in the peace process, according to media reports.

"From the very beginning, Ukraine's desire was to join NATO, these are real security guarantees. Some partners from the United States and Europe did not support this direction," the Ukrinform news agency quoted Zelensky.

Zelensky said Article 5-like guarantees from the United States and from European partners, as well as from other countries, "would provide an opportunity to prevent another arrival of Russian troops." He also called it "a compromise on our part."

Zelensky said he was not yet ready to disclose specific details of the proposed security guarantees, saying they would be known in a day or two.

Ukrainian president arrived in Berlin on Sunday afternoon for talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other European leaders.

German newspaper Bild reported that Zelensky may also hold talks with representatives of U.S. President Donald Trump, but did not elaborate further.

According to Ukrinform, Zelensky said the same day that Ukraine must be prepared for any possible developments regarding elections.

"I asked our partners to assist with the security situation if elections are held, and I said that lawmakers should prepare options for how this could be implemented if the situation develops in that direction. They should work out, in the near future, options for holding elections," he said in a statement in response to journalists' questions.

He said he had received "signals" from the United States and President Trump regarding Ukraine's presidential election.

Ukraine says ready to accept NATO-style security guarantees