China's railway sector completed 200.8 billion yuan (about 29.57 billion U.S. dollars) in fixed-asset investment in the first four months of 2026, up 3.2 percent year on year, the national railway operator said on Wednesday.
According to China State Railway Group (China Railway), a range of new technologies and construction techniques have been widely applied in railway projects across the country, with steady investment growth helping to spur regional economic and social development.
In April alone, several key high-speed rail projects hit major milesto nes.
Test runs progressed smoothly on the Xi'an-Shiyan high-speed railway, which links Shaanxi Province with Hubei Province, and on the Shandong section of the Xiong'an-Shangqiu high-speed railway. With maximum test speeds reaching 385 kilometers per hour, the tests laid a solid foundation for the lines to enter service.
The first round of quality checks has been launched on the Xi'an-Ankang rail link in Shaanxi and the Wenling-Yuhuan section of the Hangzhou-Shaoxing-Taizhou line in Zhejiang province.
All tunnels on the Chongqing-Wanzhou high-speed railway in southwest China were completed.
Construction also made progress on several major control projects, including the Chongqing Science City Station on the the middle line of the Chengdu-Chongqing high-speed railway, and the Jingu Haihe Tunnel for the high-speed railway between Tianjin Municipality and Shandong's Weifang City.
Chinese railway sector's fixed-asset investment up 3.2 pct in Jan-April period
Chinese railway sector's fixed-asset investment up 3.2 pct in Jan-April
The Shanghai Stock Exchange (SME) on Monday approved a plan by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), the country's leading chipmaker, to acquire the remaining 49 percent stake in its subsidiary SMIC North for 40.6 billion yuan (about 5.98 billion U.S. dollars) through share issuance, marking the largest merger and acquisition deal since the inception of China's STAR Market.
The deal, approved by SME's merger and acquisition review committee, was the first case of a multi-listed red-chip company issuing shares to purchase assets on the STAR market, and it is also the largest merger and acquisition deal in the history of the domestic wafer foundry industry.
After the completion of the transaction, SMIC's stake in SMIC North will increase from 51 percent to 100 percent. The offering price is set at 74.2 yuan (10.9 U.S. dollars) per share.
"Stock acquisition is a mechanism that binds the interests of both parties and shares risks. It sends a very positive message to the outside world and saves cash. Cash is a very valuable asset for growth-oriented companies, which can use it for other places where cash is needed more badly," said Qian Jun, executive dean of the Fanhai International School of Finance (FISF) of Fudan University in Shanghai.
Experts said that the acquisition will help further improve the quality of SMIC's assets and enhance business synergy, as SMIC North is one of the most profitable single factories within the SMIC system.
"Through industry consolidation, higher-quality assets can be concentrated into the hands of listed companies that have operational and value creation capabilities," Qian said.
SMIC gains approval for acquisition of its Beijing fab
