As investigations get underway following the railway tragedy near Wenzhou on July 23, people are expecting answers to questions about what went wrong and who was to blame. It is essential that everyone concerned uses this terrible event as an opportunity to learn lessons and make positive improvements in areas such as public safety and crisis response.

The hugely impressive development of China since the late 1970s is a historic transformation that has greatly improved the lives of the population. The Chinese people have every right to be proud of what the country has achieved, and this achievement is recognized throughout the world. However, the reputation of China's enterprises and officials is at risk both at home and abroad.

Coal mining accidents and village protests over land issues create an image of an official culture where people come second to material development. The 12th Five-Year Plan accepts that this issue, including the equitable distribution of the benefits of development, must be addressed.

Damage to the country's international reputation is at least as damaging as damage to confidence among the Chinese people. After a number of scandals about food in China and in foreign markets, there is now a widespread perception that Chinese products are unsafe. Mainland people are now coming to Hong Kong to buy canned milk powder because they are afraid of giving local products to their children. Rightly or wrongly, many Americans and other consumers around the world now distrust Chinese food products.

In other words, many people in the world think "Chinese food is unsafe." And now we also have them thinking that "Chinese high-speed trains are unsafe." The disaster was widely reported in the international media. Foreign visitors to China are now likely to share local people's suspicions about high-speed trains. The chances of exporting Chinese high-speed rail technology may have been affected.

In the 1990s, central government officials took firm action when airline safety became a major concern – the industry had been growing extremely quickly. Serious measures were implemented, the sector's expansion was slowed down and international as well as local expertise helped establish good safety systems. Today, China's airline safety record is as good as that of Western countries. Clearly, the country can overcome technical problems on the railways.

What about other aspects of this tragedy? Officials need to ask whether rapid expansion of the high-speed rail network was necessary or realistic. They need to ask whether high-speed rail is the best use of resources compared with other transport options. At all levels of government and State enterprises, people need to ask whether large-scale projects are always the best way to go forward, and why officials have incentives to favor them.

Not least, the culture among officials handling accidents and emergencies needs to change. In the modern world, there is no monopoly over information and no way to absolutely guide public opinion. One of the major changes in China in the last 20 years or so (often ignored by the international press) is the growing openness of society. Far more commercial media channels compete for audiences. The Internet and mobile phones multiply the amount of debate, comment, factual information and rumors among the population.

Officials have to come to terms with this and accept that in this new environment honesty and transparency will help them get their jobs done. In other words, they have to understand that being evasive or misleading in response to accidents and scandals, they make the problem worse. Indeed, the attempts to hide, deny or find excuses after a crisis can do more damage than the crisis itself.

China's top leaders said several years ago that they wanted a more people-first approach to government. Other decision-makers, academics and others have started to talk about a more sustainable and steady approach to ensure that economic growth is in line with people's needs and expectations. The Wenzhou rail tragedy should highlight the importance of this debate, and maybe some good will ultimately come out of the tragedy.

The author is a deputy to the National People's Congress.