As China’s speedy maglev train breaks records, US ambitions go off the rails

3M, Caterpillar and other American firms will gather in Beijing on Friday to discuss rail transit and supply-chain opportunities

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A bullet train passes by the Yongdingmen (Gate of Perpetual Peace) in Beijing. China’s high-speed railway lines span nearly 50,000km (31,000 miles). Photo: Xinhua

Xiaofei Xuin ParisandHe Huifengin Guangdong

Published: 11:00pm, 17 Jul 2025Updated: 6:03pm, 18 Jul 2025

A week after China said its supercharged rail system has reached speeds of 600km/h (373mph), US President Donald Trump seemingly pulled the plug on American rail progress.

In a controversial move being challenged by the state of California, Trump cancelled US$4 billion in federal funding for its high-speed railway project.

Regardless of the outcome of any legal challenge, Trump’s announcement highlights the contrasting development paths of the economic superpowers in their rail aspirations, or lack thereof.

China is widely expected to extend its lead over the United States as progress speeds forward with its blazing-fast trains – at home and abroad – while American projects struggle amid a lack of funding and political pressure.

The subject is expected to be a central talking point during the US-China Rail Transit Industry Roundtable on Friday at the China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing.

Industry representatives from both sides will also discuss the potential for supply-chain cooperation in the railway sector, according to the agenda provided by the organisation, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

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