China and Russia are in their final stage of agreement for the co-development of a heavy-lift helicopter. (Photo : REUTERS)
During the 19th Regular Prime Ministers' Meetings in Moscow, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will sign various bilateral agreements, including the deal on Russia's first high-speed railway line which will be constructed by China.
Chinese and Russian firms will engage in discussions about the design, financials, supply facilities and assembly of the high-speed railway line, which will span 770 kilometers to connect Kazan and Moscow.
The high-speed railway line is just one of the 39 agreements to be signed by the meeting primes of the two countries.
According to Russia's construction plan, the high-speed railway line will form the part of the railway that will stretch up to Beijing. The project is scheduled to conclude in 2018, in time for the World Cup soccer finals that will be hosted by Kazan.
The high-speed trains will run up to 400 kilometers per hour, significantly reducing the travel duration from Kazan to Moscow and vice versa from 13 hours to just three hours and 30 minutes.
Beijing Jiaotong University professor Yang Hao said that China possesses advanced railroad technology and unmatched experience in construction and operations of railroads. However, China has to adapt to some challenges.
"It will not be easy for Chinese companies to design or build Russian rail lines, because they will have to adapt to wide tracks and must make many changes to trains and equipment," said professor Yang.
As with the other agreements slated for the meeting, Li and Medvedev will sign a deal for the upgrade of Russia's electricity network with the help of the State Grid Corp of China.
Previously, China and Russia signed a $400 billion partnership project that will deliver natural gas from Russia to China.
