Almost any European country has, with a much smaller economy, better social wellbeing/coverage and a better high speed rail infrastructure (perhaps with the exception of the UK, unless they commit to HS2) so I'm not sure the comparison you should be making is China.
You don't need a totalitarian regime to get modern infrastructure. That's just a ridiculous statement.
Even without the HS2 the UK's train system is quite good. The main gripe from users is it costs a lot.
Eg. looking just now London to Manchester takes 2hr and costs £88 single. I think most brits think I'm not paying £90 for a single I'll drive (3 or 4 hrs), rather than I need it to be 30 min quicker - lets drop $100bn on a new line.
You don't need a totalitarian regime to get modern infrastructure. That's just a ridiculous statement.