• Djoomart Otorbaev • Former Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic • 20h •
The construction of the #China – #Kyrgyzstan – #Uzbekistan railway has officially started.
A ceremonial laying of the foundation stone of the China – Kyrgyzstan – Uzbekistan railway was held today in the village of Tosh-Kutchu in the Jalal-Abad region of the Kyrgyz Republic.
It was attended by the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, as well as Zheng Shanjie, Chairman of the State Development and Reform Committee (NDRC) of China, who read out an address from the President Xi Jinping.
On December 27, 2024, during his working visit to the Jalalabad region, President Sadir Japarov participated in the ceremony to begin the construction of the railway. The cornerstone for the large-scale project was laid in the village of Tosh-Qutchi, located near Jalalabad city. In his speech at the ceremony, the President emphasized that the “China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan” railway is not just a transport route but a significant strategic project linking the East and the West.
“This railway will facilitate the delivery of goods from China to Central Asia, the Middle East, and, ultimately, to the European Union. With this project, we aim to strengthen connectivity, improve transport infrastructure, and enhance the quality of transit and logistics. This is in line with the common goals of the Central Asian countries,” said President Sadir Japarov.
Following this, Chen Shanxue, head of the State Development and Administration of the People’s Republic of China, read a message from Chinese President Xi Jinping. The message highlighted that the project would help build a new trade route connecting Asia and Europe, promoting the strategic cooperation of the three countries and boosting trade flows. The project is expected to improve industrial direction, resource utilization, trade, and the overall economy.
A message from Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was read by Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khujaev. The message described the beginning of the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway as a historic event for the three friendly nations, which have been striving for this development for nearly 30 years. The new transport corridor is expected to connect Central Asia with China through the shortest route, further strengthening multi-dimensional cooperation and strategic partnerships among the three countries.
After the ceremony, President Sadir Japarov participated in the stone-laying event for the construction of the “China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan” railway.
A joint company was created to implement the project, where 51% belongs to China, and the shares of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan are 24.5% each. The total cost of construction of the facility is estimated at 4 billion 665 million dollars. Half of this amount – 2 billion 332 million dollars – will be transferred by China to the account of the joint company in the form of a loan. The remaining amount will be provided by three countries, according to their share, that is, Beijing should allocate 1 billion 187 million dollars, and Tashkent and Bishkek 573 million dollars each [ https://lnkd.in/eZu75nua ].
The new railway corridor will become the southern branch of the Eurasian continental bridge and will open access to the markets of Southeast, West Asia, as well as the #MiddleEast, including #Turkey and further the #EuropeanUnion. It will pass along the combined route Kashgar – Torugart – Makmal – Jalal-Abad – Andijan.
The length of the railway line will be 486 kilometers, of which 311.75 kilometers will pass through the territory of Kyrgyzstan. In total, it is planned to build 18 railway stations, 81 bridges with a total length of 26.1 km and 41 tunnels with a total length of 120.39 km. The length of bridges and tunnels will be 146.49 km or 47% of the length of the section on the territory of Kyrgyzstan.
In 2022, Sadyr Japarov said that Kyrgyz Republic would earn at least $200 million a year with the launch of this road.
It is expected that the annual volume of cargo transportation along the new corridor will be up to 15 million tons. The distance between China and European countries will be reduced by approximately 900 kilometers. It also will be possible to organize regular passenger transportation.
The new route is shown as a dashed line on the map. Another dashed line shows the planned railway through #Afghanistan to the ports of #Gwadar and #Karachi in #Pakistan
#CentralAsia could once again become the transport hub of Eurasia. As it was during the old good time of the Great Silk Road.
