Yasushi Kouchi / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent
BEIJING--China has filed international patent applications for technology related to high-speed railways, which Beijing claims to have developed on its own, in four countries and Europe, including Japan, it was reported Tuesday.
However, since China has been developing railway cars to be used in its version of the Shinkansen bullet train on the basis of technology offered by countries such as Japan and Germany, the patent filings may lead to an international dispute.
The news was reported in the Tuesday edition of the China Daily, an English-language daily in China, quoting a high-ranking Chinese government official.
According to the official, China is applying for 21 patents in Japan, the United States, Brazil, Russia and Europe, including ones concerning train car hulls and bogies. Of the 21, eight have already passed preliminary screenings, the official was quoted as saying.
China has developed high-speed railway cars through technology licenses from companies in Japan, Germany, France and Canada. Under the licensing agreements, China's use of the expertise was to be limited to domestic application, an informed source said.
The Chinese government has said its high-speed rail technology was developed completely on its own, with an official at the Railways Ministry saying, "We adopted it [the technology from overseas], digested it, absorbed it and innovated based on it."
Of the places where Beijing has filed for the patents, the United States, Brazil and Russia have high-speed railway development projects. With the patent filings, China is apparently trying to gain an advantage in the competition to win sizable contracts.
China's bullet train is based on the "Hayate" model, which runs on the Tohoku Shinkansen line.
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