China's Shanghai-Suzhou-Huzhou high-speed railway officially entered service on Thursday,linking the financial hub of Shanghai with the historic cities of Suzhou and Huzhou in a major boost to regional connectivity.
The high-speed railway has a designed speed of 350 km per hour and spans 164 km, connecting Shanghai Hongqiao Station with Suzhou City in Jiangsu Province and Huzhou City in Zhejiang Province. The railway has eight stations, providing convenient access to major cities and towns along the route.
This is the first high-speed railway connecting the three major economic hubs of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai in the Yangtze River Delta, according to Chen Guoquan, the railway project designer from China Railway Construction Corporation.
Residents are excited about the operation as the new high-speed railway is expected to significantly reduce travel times and improve connectivity between the three cities.
"We're in Huzhou city. It's so convenient for us to travel by high-speed train to Shanghai. It's good for people like us, so I'm very delighted," said a passenger.
"We have several places to visit. All the four people are excited. They all arrived early," said another passenger.
Before this new train service, the journey between Huzhou and Shanghai took about two hours. Now, it only takes around 50 minutes.
With the new railway, the operating length of the railway network in the Yangtze River Delta region has surpassed 15,000 km, over half of which is high-speed rail.
Along the railway, high-end industries are expected to cluster, further accelerating the high-quality development of the economic belt, according to Zhang Zhipeng, associate professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Shanghai-Suzhou-Huzhou high-speed rail line starts operation
Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing has lauded the achievements of China's modernization drive, noting that its development model offers valuable lessons for Myanmar to learn from.
He made the comments in an interview with China Media Group in Beijing on Wednesday, during his five-day state visit to China which ended on Friday. The trip marked his 13th visit to the country and his first since assuming the office of president.
During his extensive past tours, Min Aung Hlaing visited multiple Chinese provinces and cities, gaining firsthand insight into the nation's sweeping modernization efforts.
"Since entering the new era, China has made remarkable progress, and this is clear for all to see. China is developing at a rapid pace, and I often see news reports about China's technological innovation. China's younger generation is diligent and enterprising. They are the main force driving the country's development. I have visited many provinces and cities in China, and development achievements can be seen across the country, not only in the places you mentioned. In addition, China's development is relatively balanced. For example, Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Guangzhou are roughly on par in terms of development, with only slight differences among them. Therefore, China's development model is worth learning from," said Min Aung Hlaing.
He outlined a wide array of high-value sectors ripe for expanded partnership, including advanced engineering, electronics, aerospace, agriculture, and industrial manufacturing.
"China offers valuable lessons for Myanmar in many fields. Infrastructure development is one key area where the two sides should focus their cooperation. Besides, China has advanced engineering, electronics, aerospace, seed breeding, and industrial manufacturing - all of which offer significant cooperation opportunities. We should continue to broaden the scope of Myanmar-China cooperation, while also increasing investment between the two sides and expanding the scale of bilateral trade," said the president.
China has been Myanmar's largest trading partner for many years, as well as its largest source of imports and most important source of investment. Bilateral trade reached 19.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2025, up 19.1 percent year on year, according to official data.
Myanmar president hails China's modernization achievements, calls for expanded cooperation
