Indonesia's China-funded high-speed rail revolutionizes Southeast Asia's transportation

China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has helped fund and complete Indonesia's first high-speed rail, called Whoosh, connecting Jakarta to Bandung. The project, valued at $7.3 billion, marks China's first high-speed rail contract secured and completed abroad. This is part of China's strategy to extend its geopolitical influence through infrastructure connectivity. Whoosh is just one example of China's global railway projects, including the China-Laos rail service, the Belgrade-Budapest transport project, and the Ethiopia-Djibouti rail line. China's investment in global transportation projects continues to grow, with $51.9 billion in fixed asset investments by China Railway and a total BRI investment of $227.85 billion in transport projects.