The construction process has begun for a railway that will connect China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, bypassing Russia. The new railway will facilitate the transportation of goods from China through Central Asia to European Union countries, reports the Tazabek.
On December 27, during the ceremony marking the start of the railway construction in Kyrgyzstan, President Sadyr Japarov stated that the new railway would not only be a strategic project but also a vital link between the West and the East.
“The new China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway corridor will be a branch of the southern bridge of the Eurasian continent and will open access to the markets of Western Asia and the Middle East. This route will allow goods to be transported from China to Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia, and from there to Turkey and onwards to the European Union,” Japarov said.
He also added that the project would strengthen regional ties and diversify transport routes, increasing the region’s competitiveness as a transit hub.
Features of the project
The railway will run from the city of Kashgar in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, passing through Torugart, Makmal, and Jalal-Abad in Kyrgyzstan, to Andijan in Uzbekistan.
In the future, the railway is planned to be connected with other Central Asian countries. From there, goods will be transported to the Caspian Sea, Türkiye, and Europe.
The total cost of the project is $4.7 billion. The investment agreement was signed on December 20 in Bishkek between the governments of Kyrgyzstan and the railway company China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan. In the joint venture, Beijing holds a 51% stake, while Bishkek and Tashkent each hold 24.5%.
The planned transport volume is set at 15 million tons. It is expected that the railway will reduce delivery times for goods from China to Europe by seven days.
Projects of the Chinese Silk Road
In 2013, China launched an ambitious infrastructure initiative called the Belt and Road (BRI), also known as One Belt, One Road.
It envisions the functioning of the economic Silk Road belt: a land route that traverses Central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, as well as the maritime Silk Road of the 21st century: a sea route connecting China with Southeast Asia, South Asia, Africa, and Europe.
In June this year, Polish President Andrzej Duda visited Beijing, where he discussed with President Xi Jinping the development of the infrastructure network connecting China, Central Asian countries, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.