Former Soviet republics in Central Asia have signed an agreement to build a railway that will provide China with a trade route to Europe and reduce their dependence on Russia.
After more than two decades of negotiations, the Kyrgyz parliament has ratified a tripartite agreement with China and Uzbekistan on the joint construction of the CKU railway, Russian-language media outlet BigAsia.Ru reported on Wednesday. The agreement was signed between the two countries on June 6, with construction set to begin in October.
The 324-mile railway linking the three countries is part of China’s “One Belt, One Road” global infrastructure development initiative and is expected to cost around $8 billion. It will be a vital trade route for landlocked Central Asian countries within Moscow’s sphere of influence. Newsweek The Russian Foreign Ministry has been contacted for comment.
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The railway would shorten the route from China to Europe by 560 miles, cutting freight transit time by an estimated eight days, and avoid Russia and its Trans-Siberian railway. International Railway Journal (ICJ) reported.
The line will run from Kashgar in China to Andijan in Uzbekistan via Torgart, Makmal and Jalalabad in Kyrgyzstan, and will feature new logistics infrastructure, including cargo terminals and warehouses, and will carry 15 million tonnes of cargo per year.
As Diplomat Reported in July 2022, five months after President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, CKU would become a conduit to Europe bypassing Russia and become crucial amid Western sanctions against Moscow resulting from the war.
The Jamestown Foundation, a Washington DC think tank, said in April 2022 that since the conflict began, some companies have stopped using Russian territory as a transit country, either in response to Russian aggression or due to a worsening business environment in Russia.
“The CKU railway gives China an opportunity to diversify its trade routes, reduce its dependence on Russian lines and maintain sustainable rail trade with EU countries,” Diplomat said. “China can keep its rail trade with the EU sustainable and offset losses on the northern corridor that passes through Russian territory.”
A Beijing government newspaper reported on the railway situation on Thursday. China Daily The Chinese government has highlighted the railway as an alternative route from Europe to Russia, and said a “significant milestone” was reached on May 25, when the China-Europe freight railway, which opened in 2011, had seen 90,000 trips.
Until now, the main route has been the northern one via Kazakhstan and Russia, but the new railway will create “the shortest land route connecting the two economic centers of the Eurasian continent along the Central Corridor.”
China Daily He said the increase in rail traffic “demonstrates that it is economically feasible to develop additional rail transport routes between China and Europe, in turn through Central Asia, the Caspian Sea and the South Caucasus.”
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