Year-ender: 10 major industrial events in China

May 23: Qingdao debuts high-speed maglev train prototype

China rolled off the production line a prototype magnetic-levitation train with a designed maximum speed of 600 kilometers per hour in Qingdao on May 23, filling the gap in travel speed between aviation and high-speed rail passenger transport in the country, according to its manufacturer.

The engineering prototype is planned to roll off the production line in 2020 and go through comprehensive tests to conclude integrated verification in 2021.

The high-speed maglev transportation system is one of the key projects under the Ministry of Science and Technology's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) to promote an advanced rail transit system.