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Shirley Yam

Opinion | Axed Railways Ministry is reborn, with little changed

The much-maligned ministry's replacement will lack checks and balances and commercial incentives, with its huge debt left untouched

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Axed Railways Ministry is reborn, with little changed

Reading between the lines is a craft in understanding China. Let's try it out with the much-publicised reform of the corrupted and powerful Ministry of Railways.

Some explanation comes from He Ping, speaking at the National People's Congress.

He is the son-in-law of the late Deng Xiaoping, the son of a late lieutenant general, a lieutenant general himself, and the founder and honorary chairman of armament and cultural dealer China Poly Group. He knows the game.

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Under the slogan of separating the enterprise from the government and a promise of efficiency plus safety, Beijing has split the ministry into two.

"Those who go into the Ministry of Transport are all about planning and administration. That's all weak stuff. One can't do much," said He.

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"The real thing is in the operation and management of the China Railway Corporation."

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