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
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.
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.
American companies expected to attend include Wabtec, Caterpillar, 3M, Cummins, Harsco Rail and L.B. Foster.
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China unveils maglev marvel, redefining the future of high-speed rail transport
“The slow development of high-speed rail in the United States is largely due to the constraints of political and capital interests,” Wang Yiwei, an ex-diplomat and head of Renmin University’s Institute of International Affairs in Beijing, told the Post on Thursday.