[gruez]

> China can just take the land.

I'll file that under "being propped up by the government"

> China's population density is not high compared to inhabited parts of the U.S.

I have no doubt that there are profitable HSR lines in china, just like there are in europe. The question is whether we would still get an "impressive" number if we cull all the non-profitable ones (the one stretching to xinjiang come to mind).