This is a truly incredible article that criticizes China's plans to build high speed rail to under-served parts of China by taking the angle that it won't make money, and therefore is stupid. Amazing that infrastructure projects that help rural Chinese gain access to a high speed rail network is criticized from the angle of profit-making when making a profit is never the point with infrastructure projects. The NYC subway system wasn't built to "make a profit," but that doesn't mean it was a bad idea. But China bad so somehow them building a crazy amount of high speed rail is bad.
Can you imagine how western nations would frame that if China actually did take their terrible advice? Authoritarian China forces mass emigration of rural population would make headlines for months. Then no doubt they'd call the now worse off cities "open aired prisons" and then continue to never report on Palestine.
Also just compare France and Germany, classic scenario
Paris, the nation, surrounded by farmland?
or a bunch of medium-large cities evenly dispersed throughout the nation
which one is economically superior?