中国铁路国际（美国）有限公司相关人士日前称，中美合作的首个总投资额达127亿美元的高铁建设项目或将“流产”。在洛杉矶至拉斯维加斯高铁项目即将动工（9月）前夕，美方公司单方面宣布毁约是草率和不负责任的。

据《洛杉矶时报》近日报道，美国西部快线公司6月9日单方面宣布正式终止与中国铁路国际（美国）有限公司的合作，并将继续寻找其他合作伙伴和合作方式建设这一项目。西部快线首席执行官托尼•马奈尔在声明中表示，这个项目的最大阻力来自美国联邦政府规定，即高铁列车必须在美国制造。在声明中，托尼•马奈尔敦促政府采取更加灵活和实现的方式支持高铁项目的建设。

计划运行在洛杉矶至拉斯维加斯之间的美国西部快线公司高铁。照片：美联社。

根据《2009年美国复苏与再投资法案》第1605条，“涉及航空、铁路和公路等运输项目所使用的建筑材料和运营设备，必须由美国国内生产制造，少数特例除外”。但众所周知，美国并不生产制造高速列车，因此这一被称为“购买美国货”的条款成为阻碍美国高铁发展的重要原因之一。

美国在基础设施建设方面有着极为详尽的政府法规和地方法规，它一方面切实保护了美国的各项利益，另一方面也制约着美国基础建设的发展。托尼•马奈尔表示，我们真正的疑问是，华盛顿的决策者们是高瞻远瞩地支持高铁项目，还是要让美国的基础设施工程依赖外国政府的资助？

其实，美国总统奥巴马非常重视美国的基础设施建设。在第一个任期中，奥巴马政府先后投入了105亿美元发展铁路系统。早在2011年1月25日，奥巴马发表国情咨文时，他就多次强调重建美国基础设施的重要性和举措。“我们自己的工程师给美国基础设施评分时，他们给出的成绩是D。”奥巴马强调，要想赢得未来，必须重建美国。“我们将让更多美国人从事修理道路和桥梁等工作。我们将确保这方面的工作有充分的经费支持。为此，我们将设法吸引私人投资。”“中国正在建设比美国更快的铁路和更新的机场，美国应把中国当作榜样。未来25年要让80%的美国人获得高速铁路的覆盖……”奥巴马的讲话，打开了中美双方在高铁等多领域深入合作的广阔空间。

然而，五年后的今天，中美高铁项目合作却遭遇美方的“紧急制动”。对此中国铁路总公司负责人表示，美国西部快线公司单方发布终止项目合作的消息，违反有关协议，我们表示反对，已依法进行交涉。中国铁路国际（美国）有限公司总经理说，6月2日中美双方还在进行工作会谈，9日美方突如其来的单方面举措令人诧异，更不合常理。

对此业内人士分析，中国和美国有高铁和地铁等基础建设项目合作，从高铁项目遭遇突变情况看，其间有着美国方面的政治考量。阻碍美国高铁发展的真正原因是美国内部的政治分歧，一方面来自民主党和共和党之间，另一方面来自联邦政府和州政府之间。

这似乎预示着，西部快线在同下一个合作伙伴开展合作之前，应当先进行游说政府的工作。但有时美国人宁愿无所作为，也不愿放弃“制衡政治”。命途多舛的美国高铁正说明了这一点。在政治掣肘下，单纯的商业目标注定难以为继。

将来，西部快线公司将寻找怎样的合作伙伴以及以何种方式合作继续建设这一项目？由西部快线“急转弯”而引发的“高铁变局”令世人关注。

Sources with China Railway International USA Co. Ltd. disclosed the other day that the first high-speed rail joint venture by Chinese and American companies, with an overall investment of $12.7 billion, may be aborted. It is rash and irresponsible for the American side to unilaterally break the contract shortly before construction work begins for the Los Angeles- Las Vegas high-speed rail.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the US company XpressWest unilaterally announced on June 9 it is formally terminating cooperation with CRI, and would continue seeking other partners and forms of partnership for the project. XpressWest CEO Tony Marnell revealed in the announcement that the biggest impediment to the project was the US federal government rule that high-speed trains must be made in the US. He urged the government to take more flexible and realistic approaches to support construction of high-speed railways.

The proposed high-speed XpressWest train, which would run between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Photo: AP

According to Clause (a), Sect. 1605 of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, “None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used for a project for the construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of a public building or public work unless all of the iron, steel, and manufactured goods used in the project are produced in the United States”. But as everybody knows, the US doesn't make high-speed trains. This “buy American” clause has thus become one of the main obstacles to high-speed railway development in the US.

The US has extremely detailed federal and local government regulations on infrastructure construction, which have on one hand truly protected various American interests, on the other hand restrained infrastructure development in the US. Marnell said the real doubt was whether decision-makers in Washington could support high-speed rail development from a strategic perspective, and whether they will let American infrastructure construction rely on foreign government financing.

In fact, US President Barack Obama has placed much emphasis on US infrastructure construction. The Obama administration put $10.5 billion in developing railway system during his first term of office. In his 2011 State of the Union address, Obama reiterated the significance of rebuilding American infrastructures at multiple points. “When our own engineers graded our nation's infrastructure, they gave us a “D”, said Obama. He emphasized that the US needs to be rebuilt to win the future. “We will put more Americans to work repairing crumbling roads and bridges. We will make sure this is fully paid for, attract private investment,” he vowed. “China is building faster trains and newer airports…We have to do better.“Within 25 years, our goal is to give 80% of Americans access to high-speed rail,” he promised. Obama's remarks opened up broad prospects for in-depth China-US collaboration in such fields as high-speed rail.

Five years later, however, the American side has pulled the emergency brake on the China-US high-speed rail program. CRI officials have protested, saying XpressWest violated relevant agreements by unilaterally announcing termination of cooperation, and are dealing with the matter in accordance with law. CRI's general manager disclosed the two parties were in working-level talks on June 2, the abrupt unilateral announcement on June 9 was thus surprising and illogical.

Industry insiders suspect there may be political calculations on the part of the American side behind the sudden change in the high-speed rail project. The true obstruction to American high-speed rail development is domestic political divergences in the US, both between the Democratic and Republican parties, and between federal and local governments.

This seems to indicate XpressWest should first lobby the government before engaging in collaboration with any future partner. But sometimes Americans would rather do nothing than abandoning the “politics of containment”. The ill-fated American high-speed rail is a case in point. Pure and simple business goals are destined to be unachievable in the whirl of politics.

Next up, what partner will XpressWest find, in what manner will they cooperate and continue the project? The high-speed rail drama that resulted from XpressWest's abrupt turn has aroused global attention.