By John Hutchinson
China and Russia are considering building a high-speed rail line thousands of kilometres from Moscow to Beijing that would cut the journey time from six days on the Trans-Siberian to two.
The project would cost more than $230bn (£144bn) and be over 7,000km (4,350 miles) long – more than three times the world’s current longest high-speed line, from the Chinese capital to the southern city of Guangzhou.
The railway would be a powerful physical symbol of the ties that bind Moscow and Beijing, whose political relationship has roots dating from the Soviet era and who often vote together on the UN Security Council.
