Whether it was the trains running on time in Italy, or the Moscow subways, or now high-speed rail lines in China, western dupes constantly fall for the lure of the great pyramid without seeing the diversion of resources and loss of liberty that went into building it.

FORBES: Shifting Capital From the Productive to the Sexy

The decision is a signal that China is slowing its ambitious high-speed rail program, which has put the country in the same league as Japan and Europe in terms of high-speed rail development, government run newspaper China Daily reported on Thursday.

FORBES: After Train Wreck, China Tells Bullet Trains To Slow Down

Responsible for overseeing investment in China's high-speed rail network, Mr Liu came under investigation for allegedly embezzling funds.

BBC: Ex China rail minister Liu Zhijun charged with corruption

Wen assured skeptics home and abroad that the government would learn its lessons and do its utmost to restore people's faith in China's high-speed rail.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Likewise in China, there are a growing number of super-high speed rail lines that can travel above 300 km per hour between major cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai.

BBC: Corporate rail travel on the rise

In green transportation news, China unveiled the world's longest high-speed rail line this week.

ENGADGET: Inhabitat's Week in Green: biological concrete, flexible solar cells and the top wearable tech of 2012

One major test came one year ago, when a deadly high-speed rail collision outside the eastern city of Wenzhou prompted questions online and even in the state media over whether China's preoccupation with growth had led to investment at the expense of safety.

WSJ: Deadly Flooding in Beijing Sparks Anger

Thailand revised plans for the development of a high-speed rail network that would have connected Bangkok to Malaysia in the south and Laos to the north and to China beyond.

ECONOMIST: Politics this week