CRI听力:Chinese Railway Goes Global

CRRC, the new company created from the merger of train makers CSR and CNR, will start trading in the Chinese A-share market today.

The two railway giants completed a stock swap last week.

Earlier, Germany's national railway operator, Deutsche Bahn, announced it is considering buying trains and spare parts from China.

Company board member Heike Hanagarth told German media that in the following three to five years, Asia, and China in particular, could assume a key role a a supplier for Deutsche Bahn.

First, Deutsche Bahn will by 2017 reportedly begin purchasing some of the 35-thousand wheels it requires annually from Chinese manufacturers.

Meanwhile, it is being reported that Chinese firms could also be strong contenders in a $68 billion high-speed rail project in California.

For more on this topic, we're joined on the line by Mike Bastin, director of China Business Center based in London.