Conceived in 1997, launched in 2024, the line could cut transport distances by 900 kilometers — and Russia has shifted from skeptic to conditional supporter

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Tuesday. [TASS]
Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Tuesday. [TASS]

The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan international railway — a flagship land-based Belt and Road project — is drawing fresh attention after Chinese President Xi Jinping repeatedly championed it at the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.

According to China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, most of the countries with which Xi held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, which ran through Tuesday, are involved in Belt and Road-related projects with China.

Xi made particular mention of the railway linking China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan on multiple occasions during the summit and held bilateral talks with the leaders of both countries.

In his meeting with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Xi described the railway as "a transportation artery carrying the development hopes of the region's people." Japarov responded by expressing hope that it would become "a 'Steel Silk Road' for a new era."

A joint declaration issued by the two leaders pledged to "ensure the smooth and timely implementation of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project."

Xi also stressed during his meeting with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev that the railway's construction must be "pursued with high quality."

Chinese state media trained a spotlight on the construction site to coincide with the SCO summit, with China Central Television covering a bridge project stretching nearly 1 kilometer inside Kyrgyzstan.

The idea for the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway was first floated in 1997 but did not formally break ground until December 2024, after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.

The roughly 500-kilometer line runs from Kashgar in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region through Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan. The Kyrgyz section, which passes through mountainous terrain, accounts for 304.84 kilometers — about 60 percent of the total.

The Kyrgyz section will require 29 new tunnels and 50 new bridges, with tunnel and bridge segments totaling 120 kilometers. Work has already begun on 26 tunnels and 40 bridges, and overall construction stands at about 17 percent complete.

The railway is scheduled to open between 2030 and 2031, though Uzbekistan's deputy transport minister recently said he hopes to bring that date forward to 2028.

Kyrgyzstan, a landlocked country, has high hopes for the line. The country's minister of transport and communications told CCTV that "through this railway, we will be connected not only to China and Central Asia and the Middle East, but also to Europe."

Kyrgyzstan's deputy prime minister said the railway "will fundamentally transform all of Central Asia," adding that, as part of a transcontinental rail corridor, it could cut transit times by at least seven days compared with the Trans-Siberian Railway or sea routes. Some projections suggest transport distances could be shortened by 900 kilometers.

Chinese outlet Guancha.cn reported that Russia has reversed its earlier position on the railway, citing expert opinion that the SCO played a role in that shift.

Li Lifan, director of the SCO Research Center at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said Russia's previously cautious stance — including on issues such as rail gauge — "has changed to conditional support," adding that "the SCO has played a major role in multilateral cooperation."

Guancha.cn noted that when the project was first proposed, Russia was cautious and particularly firm on the question of track gauge standards.

Central Asian railways use the broad gauge inherited from the Soviet era — 1,520 millimeters — and the new line would mark the first time China's standard gauge of 1,435 millimeters effectively penetrates the Central Asian interior.

Guancha.cn said this means the Eurasian rail network, long centered on Russia, now faces a fundamental shift.

Russia's position has gradually softened since 2022, the outlet said, pointing in particular to remarks by Russia's deputy transport minister in April, who said "Russia wishes to cooperate in the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project."

Li said Russia's support "carries conditions — the core demand is to maintain influence through the gauge issue," adding that Russia's compromise on the gauge question reflects its need for the SCO on energy and security matters, "not a unilateral concession."

"The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway is not merely a transport corridor but a strategic lever reshaping the regional order," Li said. "For China, it becomes a safer and more efficient supply chain. For the landlocked nations of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, it is a historic opportunity to become overland connectivity hubs."

The South China Morning Post said the value of new alternative transport routes is rising as geopolitical conflicts — including the wars in Iran and Ukraine — increase uncertainty around existing supply chains.


mokiya@heraldcorp.com