China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan on Thursday signed an agreement on a railway project planned to be built as part of the Belt and Road Initiative.
China’s state-run news agency Xinhua says the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway will begin in Kashgar, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), and enter the territory of Uzbekistan through Kyrgyzstan. In the future, it can extend to West Asia and South Asia.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the leaders of the three countries sent video messages to the signing ceremony held in Beijing yesterday.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said the railway is a strategic project for the connectivity of China and Central Asia and a landmark construction for Belt and Road cooperation among the three countries.
The State Council of the People’s Republic of China notes that President Xi said the signing of the intergovernmental agreement will provide a solid legal basis for the construction of the project, marking the transition of the railway from a vision into a reality, and demonstrating to the world the firm determination of the three countries to promote cooperation and seek development together.
AKIpress news agency reports that Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov said the railway will be a new transport line linking Asia to Europe as well as the Persian Gulf countries, which is significant for the connectivity and the strengthening of economic and trade exchanges between countries along the route and even the whole region.
According to the Uzbek president’s official website, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said the railway will also open up big markets in South Asia and the Middle East, boosting cooperation among regional countries and China.
The Uzbek leader reportedly emphasized that the beginning of the implementation of this most important infrastructure project is truly a historical event aimed at strengthening economic and transport interconnectedness in a wide region.
