From 'Made in China' to 'Built by China,' Chinese railway industry booming overseas

In the past two decades people living outside China may have found their daily life much easier thanks to inexpensive quality products with a "Made in China" label.

Such feelings will be further consolidated as "Built by China" railway projects are set to made riding public transport a more comfortable experience in many countries.

MAJOR RAILWAY PROJECTS OVERSEAS BY CHINA

In 2014, the first high-speed railway project built by Chinese companies outside the Asian country was completed in Turkey.

The 533-km railroad, with a design speed of 250 km per hour, links Turkey's capital of Ankara with the country's most populous city of Istanbul.

In the same year, a 1,344-km railroad project spanning the African country of Angola also had its finish touches and was put into operation. The line, built by the China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC), boasts the fastest traveling speed in the country and will serve as a significant economic corridor there.

China in May signed a deal to build a rail link worth 3.8 billion U.S. dollars between Kenya's Mombasa and Nairobi, the first phase of a line that will eventually connect Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan.

Under the deal, Exim Bank of China will provide 90 percent of the cost to replace the decades-old British colonial-era line with a 609.3 km standard-gauge link while Kenya will fund the balance of 10 percent.

Nigeria and Ethiopia also witnessed steady progress in railway projects undertaken by Chinese companies. Once completed, these railways will be the backbone of the local public transport system and a key component of growth.