‼️Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and China will build a railway to Europe, bypassing Russia.
Two former Soviet republics in Central Asia - Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan - have agreed with China to build a railway to Europe that will bypass Russia.
The agreement on the project, which Beijing, Bishkek and Tashkent have been discussing for 27 years, was signed by the parties on June 6 in Beijing, and construction is due to begin in October.
The 450-500 km long railway will become part of China's global One Belt, One Road initiative.
“Experts note that the annual volume of cargo transportation will reach 15 million tons, and the delivery time of goods to end consumers will be reduced by 7 days. In addition, a modern transit and logistics infrastructure, warehouses and terminals will be created,” said President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
The road will run from Kashgar in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region through Torugart, Makmal and Jalal-Abad in Kyrgyzstan to Andijan in Uzbekistan.
Then the highway will connect with the roads of other Central Asian countries, from where cargo will go to the Caspian Sea, to Turkey and to Europe.
On June 19, the parliament of Kyrgyzstan, through whose territory the main part of the route will pass, ratified an agreement with China and Uzbekistan on the construction of the road.
A joint project company (JPC) will be created to lay the Kyrgyz section of the highway between the countries. China will own 51% of it, and Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan will each get 24.5%.
- Reported by the Moscow Times.