Railway fixed-asset investment hits record high in 2025
China State Railway Group Co. Ltd. (China Railway) announced that railway fixed-asset investment reached a historic high of 901.5 billion yuan ($129 billion) in 2025, a 6% year-on-year increase, though the growth rate slowed by 5.3 percentage points from 2024. The state operator disclosed at an annual work conference on Sunday that the country brought 3,109 kilometers of new lines into operation during the year, including 2,862 kilometers of high-speed tracks.
China threatens EU after carbon border tax takes effect
Beijing has vowed to take “all necessary measures” after the European Union’s carbon border tax fully took effect, a move that analysts said could significantly raise costs for Chinese exports such as steel and threaten their competitiveness in Europe.
The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which fully entered into force on Thursday following a two-year transitional phase, requires importers of steel, aluminum, cement, fertilizers, electricity and hydrogen to purchase certificates to cover the carbon emissions embedded in their products.
China faces fallout after U.S. action in Venezuela
President Donald Trump announced on social media Saturday that the U.S. had “carried out a “large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolás Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country.” Speaking at a press conference that same day, Trump said that the U.S. would “run” Venezuela until a “safe, proper and judicious transition” could be achieved.
The development is mildly bullish for oil prices in the short term, but the overall impact is expected to be limited, an industry analyst said, noting that Venezuela’s current oil production and export volumes are relatively small and that markets had already priced in heightened geopolitical risk. The analyst added the more meaningful impact is likely to come from shifts in Venezuelan crude trade flows, with effects felt more acutely in regional refined-product markets such as China.
Rail passenger trips miss 2025 target despite record volume
China Railway reported 4.255 billion passenger trips in 2025, a 4.2% increase from the previous year and a new record, though the figure fell approximately 25 million trips short of the operator’s annual target. The company had previously set goals for 4.28 billion trips and a 4.9% growth rate, according to data released at the national railway work conference on Sunday.
