Chinese Infrastructure Provision to the Global South and the Setting of Rail Standards

This research paper examines the impact of Chinese infrastructure provision, specifically through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), on rail standards in the Global South. By analyzing the Trans-Asian Railway (TAR) Network and projects in Southeast Asia, the author provides recommendations for African countries on managing costs, standardization, and trade facilitation to maximize the benefits of rail development while transitioning to low-carbon transport.

• Rail infrastructure is recommended for African countries as a means to establish a durable, clean transport sector and prepare for a low-carbon future, despite the higher initial costs compared to other options like aviation, which increases greenhouse gas emissions.
• The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) promotes high-speed, standard-gauge rail, which often differs from the colonial-era rail systems currently in place in Africa and some Southeast Asian countries.
• A 2019 World Bank study indicated that BRI transport corridors could increase global trade by 1.7% to 6.2% and global real income by 0.7% to 2.9%, although these projects carry risks related to governance, environment, social factors, and debt sustainability.
• China has become a dominant force in the global high-speed rail (HSR) market; the China State Railway Group owns 64% of the world's 6,000 high-speed train sets.
• In Southeast Asia, the primary challenges for BRI rail projects are often related to total construction costs and the need for complementary trade policies rather than disagreements over technical standards.
• The author recommends that African governments prioritize integrated cross-border planning and transparency in bidding to better manage costs and ensure interoperability, citing Malaysia's successful renegotiation of the East Coast Rail Link as an example of the value of transparency.
• The success of new rail systems depends heavily on domestic economic planning and trade facilitation; the author highlights Japan's 'Kobayashi model' of land value capture around stations as a way to improve financial viability.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2021). Chinese Infrastructure Provision to the Global South and the Setting of Rail Standards. https://saiia.org.za/research/chinese-infrastructure-provision-to-the-global-south-and-the-setting-of-rail-standards/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Chinese Infrastructure Provision to the Global South and the Setting of Rail Standards. 2021. https://saiia.org.za/research/chinese-infrastructure-provision-to-the-global-south-and-the-setting-of-rail-standards/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Chinese Infrastructure Provision to the Global South and the Setting of Rail Standards |date=24 June 2021 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/chinese-infrastructure-provision-to-the-global-south-and-the-setting-of-rail-standards/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2021chinese, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Chinese Infrastructure Provision to the Global South and the Setting of Rail Standards}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2021}, month = jun, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/chinese-infrastructure-provision-to-the-global-south-and-the-setting-of-rail-standards/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }