China's state-run Xinhua News Agency reported on July 21 that a new problem has emerged between Japan and India regarding the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Project, India's first high-speed rail plan, which is being carried out in cooperation between Japan and India. Meanwhile, many comments supporting Japan have been posted by Chinese netizens.

According to the report, Hideki Makihara, former Minister of Justice for the Japanese government, recently claimed in a social media post that the delay in the progress of the high-speed rail project was "100% India's fault." Makihara, stating that he had experience working on the project, criticized the Indian side with comments such as "they immediately overturn promises" and "they persist in asserting their self-interest until the very end," and said that he "spoke out to protect the efforts and honor of those involved on the Japanese side."

Makihara cited an article from Japanese media, pointing out that although the initial plan was to develop the system based on Japan's Shinkansen rolling stock and signaling system, the Indian side adopted a European-style signaling system during the construction process, making the introduction of Japanese-made rolling stock difficult. He stated that Japanese rolling stock cannot operate with a European-style system, resulting in the exclusion of Japanese technology.

In response, Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, denied this, stating that "(Makihara's remarks are) a personal opinion and significantly different from the facts." He explained that the signaling system was procured based on the principle of "meeting international standards" and that "no concrete proposals have been received from the Japanese side," and furthermore, claimed that "both sides have agreed" to use Indian-made high-speed trains in the initial stages of the project, as the Japanese side's new vehicles under development would not be available until after 2030.

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail is a line approximately 500 kilometers long connecting western India, and is being constructed using ODA loans. Construction began in 2017 and was originally scheduled to open in 2023, but has been delayed due to difficulties in land acquisition and other issues, and is now aiming for partial opening in August 2027. Xinhua's article also conveyed the view from Japan that "Japanese technology might be excluded from India's future high-speed rail standards."

In response to this report, Chinese netizens made sarcastic comments about both sides, such as "Neither of them is any good," "It's fun to watch them fight," and "Weren't (Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi) siblings? (referring to their mutual use of 'brother' and 'sister')."

On the other hand, comments rarely seen siding with Japan dominated, such as "This time, I'll trust the Japanese," "Indians have never shown sincerity," "If they were sincere, they wouldn't be Indian," "Indians deceive everyone except themselves. You'll definitely regret doing business with them," "Investing in India is high-risk. Higher than investing in the U.S.," "It's a contrast between civilization and foolishness," "So, Japan provided loans, built the railway, and invested, but ultimately was left out?", "Anyone who cooperates with India will eventually be made a fool of," and "There's no need to export such high-end equipment and technology to India." (Translation/Editing by Kitada)