The latest addition to the country’s portfolio is a 277-kilometer (172-mile) high-speed train line along the southeastern coast, connecting the cities of Zhangzhou, Xiamen and Fuzhou, all three of which are in Fujian province.
The maximum speed of the trains along this route is 350 kilometers per hour, according to China Railway, the state railway operator.
The new railway currently has 84 bridges and 29 tunnels, plus 20 km of track that goes over the sea, making it the country’s first over-water bullet train. The new line is just one of many infrastructure projects touted by the Chinese government in 2016, when the “Eight Horizontal and Eight Vertical” rail initiative was announced. State-run media outlet Xinhua notes that ground transportation in Fujian province has been challenging due to its mountainous terrain.
China’s ruling Communist Party claims Taiwan as its own territory, despite having never controlled it.