China trains recalled

The world may need to stop citing China's spectacular high-speed rail boom as evidence that this country is outpacing the United States and others.

On Friday, fallout continued from the crash three weeks ago that killed 40 and injured 200 more near Wenzhou, when one of the country's main train manufacturers announced that it would pull 54 trains from the Beijing-to-Shanghai line. The move deals a blow to the showpiece line, which opened just a few months after and was long anticipated. China CNR Corp, in a statement posted to the website of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, said the recall would cause delays and increase costs on the company, but was needed for safety's sake.

Only one day earlier, China's State Council announced that it would suspend all new train project approvals and perform a safety check on existing lines.