BEIJING, July 13 (Xinhua) -- The mayor of the U.S. city of Chicago has announced the decision to go ahead with a planned project with a Chinese railcar maker, saying that it should not fall victim to the trade policy of the U.S. government.

Rahm Emanuel said after a visit to China that he has held successful talks with the Chinese side.

In 2016, China's CRRC Sifang won a manufacturing contract worth 1.3 billion U.S. dollars to build up to 846 new rail cars. The first batch of the new cars will go into service in around November to replace Chicago's old metro cars which have been in service for over 30 years.

As the parts for the cars will be imported from elsewhere including China, the Trump administration's recent moves to impose tariffs on Chinese goods have aroused concerns over the project.

"This project and the hundreds of jobs it will create should not fall victim to Trump's trade war," Emanuel said in a statement.

"Thanks to Chicago's strong international partnerships, this project is moving forward and creating a new economic engine on Chicago's Southeast Side," he said.