Kyrgyzstan starts building railway linking China, Uzbekistan

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov on Friday inaugurated the construction of a new railway linking China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, aimed at opening up the region as a supply route to Europe. Covering a distance of almost 325 miles, the strategically important railway will run west from the Chinese city of Kashgar in the northwestern Xinjiang region through the Kyrgyz border city of Jalal-Abad to Andijan in Uzbekistan.

The project had been under discussion for two decades but was finalised in June when the leaders of China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan signed an intergovernmental agreement. Kyrgyz Railways said it could take about six years to build. China is building ties with Central Asia, a region rich in hydrocarbons and a vital link in its colossal Belt and Road infrastructure project aimed at expanding its clout overseas.