THE CONGRATULATORY afterglow of the successful launch of a high-speed railway between Beijing and Shanghai was still in evidence in China on July 23rd when one bullet train ran into the back of another, stalled on a viaduct near Wenzhou, after lightning cut its power supply. At least 40 people died in the collision and its impact on the authority of the ruling Communist Party could be profound. This week’s decision to freeze approval of new high-speed rail projects shows just how seriously Beijing is now taking the tragedy.
If the party cannot make a train system work properly and stop corruption ruining the project, how can it steer the world’s second largest economy through murky waters as the global economy stutters?
China’s ruling elite have been more alert to shifts in public opinion since the wave of revolutions that swept away authoritarian governments in the Middle East and North Africa.
Even the normally placid state media has been up in arms over the accident, the first on China's high-speed rail network since it was launched in 2007. German trains do not stop because of lightning, the People's Dailynoted. As the party's official mouthpiece, the newspaper is normally one of the most reliably pro-government, but in this case it was scabrous in its criticism.
The high-speed rail project was one of the largest recipients of the trillions of yuan made available by the Chinese government for pump-priming projects after the economic crisis of 2008. It symbolised China’s success at innovation and was a leader in its efforts to modernise and showcase its engineering skills. But the project has been dogged by corruption. Rail minister Liu Zhijun was dismissed this spring amid an investigation into unspecified corruption allegations.
The government has also misjudged the public’s reaction to the crash and to Beijing’s inept handling of the fallout. Premier Wen Jiabao was forced into making a public statement that he was too ill to visit the accident scene. Known as “Grandpa Wen” for his comforting appearances at times of national stress, Mr Wen later promised a full and frank investigation into the crash but the damage had been done.
The country’s cabinet, the State Council, has called for more openness in government in the aftermath of the crash. That may not be enough for the outraged Chinese population, whose confidence in the party has been shaken.