Reading China's modernization through 50,000 kilometers of high-speed rail

A high-speed train runs on a bridge of Xi'an-Yan'an High-Speed Railway in Fuping, northwest China's Shaanxi province. (Photo/Shen Jiapeng)

A U.S. media outlet recently noted that China's high-speed rail network, now exceeding 50,000 kilometers in operation, has set a new global benchmark. It said that China's experience offers useful reference for other countries seeking to modernize their railway infrastructure.

This milestone transcends numerical significance. It marks a defining phase in China's modernization journey and provides a lens through which the world can better understand China's governance approach and the tangible opportunities presented by its development model.

The 50,000-kilometer network reflects China's commitment to long-term planning. Given the extended timelines and substantial investments required for rail projects, forward-looking strategies have been critical to their systematic development.

From the first edition of the Medium-and Long-Term Railway Network Plan in 2004, which laid out a clear framework for high-speed rail development, to its optimization in 2008, and its further upgrade in 2016, which proposed "eight vertical and eight horizontal" lines, China's high-speed rail development exactly explains what perseverance is.

Throughout this process, China has fully leveraged the strengths of the new system for mobilizing resources nationwide, integrating enterprises, universities, research institutions, and the user end, and turning the world's largest high-speed rail market into the most dynamic driver for innovation.

Such institutional strength enabled China to overcome technological barriers and emerge as a pioneer in fields like intelligent and green rail systems.

A high-speed train runs on the Jakarta–Bandung High-Speed Railway in Indonesia. (Photo/Shi Jiamin)

International media have attributed China's achievements to its exceptional focus. This, they note, also reflects a way of thinking—the result of a country building for the next century rather than the next election. While some nations grapple with legislative gridlock on long-term infrastructure, China has demonstrated consistent policy stability. This capacity to transcend electoral timelines has made certainty a hallmark of its development.

The 50,000-kilometer milestone also highlights the value of China's people-centered approach. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025) alone, 128 counties -- including Fuping in northwest China, Badong in central China, and Longzhou in south China -- ended their history of having no access to high-speed rail.

Take the recently opened Xi'an-Yan'an High-Speed Railway as an example. The line connects Yan'an, long known as the cradle of Chinese revolution, with the national high-speed rail network, dramatically shortening travel times and improving access to major markets.

The benefits are tangible: apples from Luochuan and persimmon cakes from Fuping can now reach a much wider consumer base, while new forms of industrial collaboration are taking shape along the route.

A beam-launching machine transfers precast box girders at a construction site along the Yangzhou section of the Shanghai–Chongqing–Chengdu High-Speed Railway, Jan. 15, 2026. (Photo/Meng Delong)

By extending high-speed railways to remote and mountainous regions, China advances regional development and common prosperity. The commitment that no one will be left behind on the path to modernization is being translated into concrete progress across the country.

The value of railways lies not only in the extension of tracks, but also in the pursuit of connectivity and shared development. Today, China's railways are injecting stronger momentum into global modernization.

The Jakarta–Bandung High-Speed Railway has realized Indonesia's long-standing goal of developing high-speed rail, accelerating the rise of industrial clusters along the route. The China–Laos Railway has helped Laos move from a landlocked country into a land-linked one, creating more than 100,000 jobs. The Mombasa–Nairobi Railway has reshaped East Africa's transportation hub, improving livelihoods along the route through public welfare programs and community development. The China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan Railway currently under construction is unfolding a new vision of connectivity across the Eurasian continent.

Chinese modernization does not seek progress for China alone; rather, it advances global development and prosperity through enhanced international cooperation.

These achievements demonstrate China's capacity for both strategic planning and concrete implementation. What expands is not merely track mileage, but globally applicable standards and shared prosperity pathways.

As observed by Kenyan media, China's modernization narrative emphasizes partnership over hierarchy and cooperation over dependency, offering countries of the Global South a distinctive and increasingly important framework.

China's achievements are shared with the world. Turning blueprints into reality and visions into tangible outcomes, what expands is not merely track mileage, but globally applicable standards and shared prosperity pathways.

Through openness and win-win cooperation, China continues contributing momentum to building a community with a shared future for humanity.