In response to the need for a systematic understanding of the development trajectory, market characteristics, and practical challenges of China's overseas urban rail transit infrastructure market, this study focuses on urban rail transit infrastructure projects launched overseas by Chinese enterprises between 2005 and 2025. It conducts a comprehensive statistical analysis of project numbers, host countries, route mileage, construction status, regional distribution, system types, and development stages, and further examines the formation of the overseas urban rail transit market landscape, its evolutionary trajectory, and the major problems faced by Chinese enterprises. On this basis, the study proposes systematic solutions from seven dimensions: regional market positioning, industrial chain extension, risk prevention and control, financing models, cost management, rules and standards, and technological and talent reserves. These solutions include implementing tiered and targeted market strategies based on regional potential, developing a TOD-based "urban rail transit + integrated development along the corridor" overseas ecosystem, establishing a country-specific, tiered geopolitical risk prevention and early-warning system, innovating diversified self-sustaining financing models supported by multilateral finance and station-area property development, building localized benchmark databases and implementing full life-cycle cost control mechanisms, strengthening "soft connectivity" through rules and standards, and enhancing core technologies such as autonomous operation and intelligent maintenance, together with international talent reserves. The results show that from 2005 to 2025, Chinese enterprises constructed 55 urban rail transit lines in 21 countries across five continents, with a total completed and under-construction mileage of 984.2 km. Geographically, the overseas market is highly concentrated in three major regions: Southeast Asia, West Asia and North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa. In terms of system type, large-capacity metro systems remain dominant. The development process has gone through three stages: initial exploration, Belt and Road Initiative-driven expansion, and transition toward high-quality development. It also exhibits a shift from civil engineering contracting to full industrial chain output, and from short-term operation and maintenance services to long-term concession-based operation. Meanwhile, Chinese overseas urban rail transit projects still face problems such as delays in project implementation, a significant increase in bidding failures, and losses in some projects. Overall, China's overseas urban rail transit industry is at a critical stage of transition from extensive scale expansion to sustainable value-oriented output. It is therefore necessary to enhance the overall competitiveness and sustainable development capacity of overseas urban rail transit projects through targeted market positioning, integrated development models, proactive risk control, diversified financing mechanisms, full life-cycle cost management, alignment of rules and standards, and the development of core technologies and international talent systems, so as to better support Belt and Road infrastructure connectivity and the building of a global community of shared future in transport cooperation.