US' lack of focus on its infrastructure means it will continue to get D+

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman marveled at China's progress in infrastructure in a June 7 opinion piece following his recent trip to the country. He described the wide use of mobile technology in daily life and the changing skylines he saw riding the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed train.

This was not the first time Friedman had lauded China's success and lamented the US' failure in infrastructure.

A day earlier, Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein tweeted: "Arrived in China, as always impressed by condition of airport, roads, cell service, etc. US needs to invest in infrastructure to keep up!"