U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the federal government would terminate funding for California's High-Speed Rail project.
"Not a SINGLE penny in Federal Dollars will go towards this Newscum SCAM ever again," Trump wrote on his social media account. "The railroad we were promised still does not exist, and never will."
On the same day, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the termination of approximately 4 billion U.S. dollars in federal funding for the California High-Speed Rail project.
In a strongly worded post, Duffy criticized California Governor Gavin Newsom and the ongoing issues surrounding the high-speed rail initiative.
"Governor Newsom and California's high-speed rail boondoggle are the definition of government incompetence and possibly corruption," said Duffy in a post on social media.
Newsom responded on social media, saying, "Won't be taking advice from the guy who can't keep planes in the sky," an apparent reference to recent aviation safety concerns under Duffy's tenure as Transportation Secretary.
In June, Secretary Duffy's department released a report on the project, citing missed deadlines, budget overruns and management issues. The report criticized the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) for not meeting critical milestones in the construction of the rail line.
In response to the criticism, CHSRA pushed back against the federal government's assessment, calling it inaccurate and defending the project's progress. The authority highlighted ongoing construction in the Central Valley -- including major earthworks and bridge building -- and described the effort as the country's first genuine attempt at high-speed rail.
The California High-Speed Rail project, initially approved in 2008, has faced persistent delays, cost overruns and logistical hurdles.
However, state officials have repeatedly maintained that the project is on track. The authority highlighted the completion of major infrastructure work, including 35 kilometers of earthworks and 11 bridge structures.
Despite these claims, some Republican lawmakers, particularly from the state's Central Valley region, have expressed frustration over the slow pace of progress.
Earlier this year, several GOP members of Congress wrote to the federal government, arguing that only a small portion of the work had been completed and urging a reconsideration of federal funding.
Trump pulls federal funding for California's High-Speed Rail project
From cutting-edge technology exhibitions to retail stores thousands of kilometers away from Europe and Southeast Asia, China-made robot vacuum cleaners are increasingly becoming a popular choice among consumers worldwide.
At electronics retailers in Berlin, Germany, Chinese brands such as Roborock and Dreame occupy prominent positions in dedicated robot vacuum sections, offering a wide range of products priced between 200 and 2,000 euros.
Many local consumers said that when purchasing smart home appliances including robot vacuum cleaners, they tend to give priority to Chinese-made products.
"It's a good price and good quality. It's also the innovation. I have a feeling that the European brands are not innovating enough," said one customer.
"I think they're always on top of the other technologies. They are getting them out faster. A lot of us are switching to the Chinese technology," another consumer said.
Germany is one of the most important overseas markets for China's floor-cleaning robots.
According to data from market research firm GfK, from January to November 2025, more than six out of 10 robot vacuum cleaners sold in Western Europe were Chinese brands.
Industry data also point to a strong global momentum.
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), global shipments of smart robot vacuum cleaners reached 17.424 million units in the first three quarters of 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 18.7 percent.
Chinese brands including Roborock, Ecovacs, Dreame, Xiaomi and Narwal ranked among the world's top five in terms of shipment volume, with a combined share of nearly 70 percent of the global market.
At a robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing plant in Huizhou, south China's Guangdong Province, workers were seen stepping up production of newly launched models that recently debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show in the United States, which concluded Friday in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The factory adjusted its production lines as early as December 2025 and stocked inventory in advance for overseas markets to ensure that new products could be delivered to global consumers at the earliest possible time.
"In 2025, Roborock's global shipments exceeded 7.2 million units. Since 2024, overseas revenue has accounted for more than 50 percent of our total revenue. Our products have now been sold to more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than 20 million households worldwide," said Quan Gang, president of Roborock.
At another robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing facility in Dongguan, Guangdong, rising overseas orders have prompted the company to upgrade its production lines with intelligent technologies to further boost capacity. The factory is currently operating at full load to meet a growing demand.
"For 2026, we have already obtained overseas orders worth at least 300 million to 400 million yuan (around 43 million to 57.3 million U.S. dollars). In addition, we've engaged in strategic cooperation with European home appliance group Cebos Group, and our total confirmed orders have exceeded 600 million yuan (around 86 million U.S. dollars)," said Zhang Junbin, founder and CEO of Narwal Robotics.
Chinese robot vacuum brands gain strong global traction
