China’s New Maglev, High Speed Rail, & What it Means for Belt & Road Partners

China has unveiled a 600kph maglev train that will eventually be used on lines connecting China’s major cities. It is part of the nation’s much larger high speed rail (HSR) network.

I discuss China’s HSR network, the foresight required to implement such an ambitious infrastructure drive, and how the West is trying to foil it both within China’s borders and beyond them as HSR lines begin moving outward as part of the Belt and Road Initiative.

References:

CNN – China debuts world’s fastest train:
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/articl…

Global Times – World’s speediest 600 km/h maglev rolls off assembly line in E.China’s Qingdao:
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/20210…

Railway Technology – Top 10 fastest trains in the world:
https://www.railway-technology.com/fe…

Bloomberg – Thailand needs hyperloop, not China-built high-speed rail: Thanathorn:
https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/…

Global Times – China’s high-speed rail carries record 10 billion passengers:
https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/11…

FARA – APCO Worldwide LLC, Thanathorn Juangroongurangkit (page 26 of PDF):
https://efile.fara.gov/docs/6582-Supp…

BBC – Virgin Hyperloop pod transport tests first passenger journey:
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-5…

VOA – Laos Braces for Promise, Peril of China’s High-Speed Railway:
https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pac…

NEO – Belt & Road: The China-Laos-Thailand Corridor:
https://journal-neo.org/2021/07/13/be…

Business Insider – The Backlash Is Brewing Against Chinese High-Speed Rail: Here’s Why It’s In Trouble:
https://www.businessinsider.com/china…