Aiming to make China's transportation modernization truly become the pioneer of national modernization, the study explores the connotations of China's transportation modernization, assesses its international position and current gaps, and proposes the path measures to enhance its competitiveness. By employing literature analysis and inductive deduction methods, it is argued that transportation modernization, as a crucial component of Chinese-style modernization, also embodies the five major characteristics of Chinese-style modernization. However, differences in social systems determine their different operational mechanisms and development models between China and Western countries, along with distinct concepts of international cooperation. The complexity and comprehensiveness of China's transportation modernization exceed those of Western countries, presenting more significant challenges. Through comparison with 17 indicators against leading countries, global averages, and typical nations, it is found that China's transportation modernization level roughly ranks among the forefront of developing countries, approaching that of moderately developed countries. While indicators like high-speed railways and expressways have reached world-leading levels, there are still significant gaps in many areas. Four paths for transportation modernization are proposed: systematic infrastructure network construction, high-quality transportation services, green and intelligent transportation technology equipment, and refined modernization of transportation governance.

Chinese path to modernization  /  transportation modernization  /  traffic facilities