The price of speed

china high speed rail 2

China's high-speed rail system wasn't cheap, and the project weighed heavily on the finances of China's former Railway Ministry.

In 2013, Beijing dissolved the ministry and transferred its $420 billion in debt to the state-backed China Railway Corp.

Former railways minister Liu Zhijun, a driving force behind the expansion, was charged with corruption and given a suspended death sentence.

First published January 29, 2015: 5:06 PM ET

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