Editor's Note:

In the Joint Statement between the China and Kyrgyz on Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for a New Era,MKS sports issued on February 5, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway is regarded as a strategic initiative aimed at enhancing connectivity between China and Central Asian nations, as well as a landmark project for the three countries in jointly constructing the Belt and Road Initiative. 

With the project's commencement ceremony taking place in December 2024, this much anticipated railway has once again captured public attention. For a long time, some Western media have expressed "special concerns" about the railway, highlighting potential "debt trap" risks, financing challenges, and other issues. To gain a deeper understanding of the railway, the Global Times interviewed with two Chinese experts, who have conducted on-site evaluations and research related to the railway's planning, to dispel some misconceptions surrounding this project from their firsthand perspectives.

Fireworks explode behind state flags during the commencement ceremony of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project in Kyrgyzstan on December 27, 2024. Photo: VCG

On February 5, 2025, President Xi Jinping held talks in Beijing with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, who was on a state visit to China. 

Xi called on the two countries to comprehensively enhance connectivity, and build the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railway with high standards and high quality, while renovating and modernizing existing ports and opening more passenger and freight flights to further facilitate the flow of people and goods between the two countries, according to the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry. 

Sadyr Japarov said that Kyrgyzstan is ready to work with China to achieve more results in building a Kyrgyzstan-China community with a shared future, pursue high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, ensure the success in building the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway as the "silk road on steel rail," and advance cooperation in industry, investment, trade, transportation, e-commerce, education, and other areas. 

The CKU railway, scheduled to begin construction in 2025, is expected to open a new shortcut between China and Europe, while elevating Central Asia's status in the global supply chain, according to companies and experts. With a designed speed of 120 kilometers per hour, the railway is a key connectivity project between China and Central Asia, and is expected to become a new demonstration project for cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The railway starts in Kashi in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, crosses the Torugart Pass into Kyrgyzstan, then proceeds westward through the Kyrgyz border city of Jalalabad, and reaches the eastern Uzbek city of Andijan.

In the summer of 2023, Shi Qing, a postdoctoral researcher at Peking University's Institute of Area Studies, conducted a field trip in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan on this railway project.

Shi believes that the CKU railway will reshape people's understanding of the entire Eurasian corridor, especially regarding the transport corridor across the Caspian Sea. For the China-Central Asia-West Asia Economic Corridor, the CKU railway serves as an alternative to Caspian transport and offers new connectivity options. 

"The Caspian international transport corridor is the shortest route between China and Europe, but it doesn't guarantee the quickest or cheapest transit. Caspian transport costs are higher than road transport. For instance, as an extension of the China-Europe freight trains, the segment from Iranian ports to Turkmenistan is handled by road transport. Also, for some companies, for the sake of international political factors, they prefer land routes through the South Caucasus and Russia into Central Asia. This indicates that land routes take precedence over Caspian shipping," Shi told the Global Times. 

Air transport also poses risks, particularly following multiple plane crashes in the Caspian region at the end of 2024. Given the costs of multimodal transport, the CKU railway could serve as a good supplementary logistics option during the corridor's development. Overall, as maritime costs are expected to rise, the CKU railway will likely become a more cost-effective choice for logistics between China and Central Asia, the scholar explained. 

Regarding the CKU railway project, some Western media outlets have propagated two primary concerns and negative narratives. 

The first is the persistent "debt trap" narrative. According to Shi's research, in fact, in large-scale overseas engineering projects that Chinese companies are involved in, even when substantial loans are provided, they are typically characterized by low interest rates and long repayment terms. For example, in the China-Laos Railway project, the Export-Import Bank of China extended a 30-year low-interest loan to Laos. This stands in stark contrast to the high-interest financing frequently offered by Western companies for similar projects, Shi said.

In the CKU project, the loans are directed to the joint venture controlled by Chinese companies, fundamentally breaking the discourse trap set by some Western media sources, the scholar said. 

North China's Hebei Province launches its new international multimodal transport route on Tuesday, which relies on railways and highways to transport goods to Central Asian countries, on July 4, 2023. Photo: VCG

Groundless claims debunked in facts

According to Xinhua, the three parties have agreed that China is responsible for the construction of the section within China, Uzbekistan is responsible for the upgrading and reconstruction of the section within its territory, while the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway Company, a joint venture established by enterprises authorized by the three governments, is responsible for the financing, construction, and operation of the section within Kyrgyzstan, citing an official with the China State Railway Group Co, Ltd (China Railway).

Another point about the railway that has been exaggerated by certain media and think tanks' publications is that "China will take over land or natural resources in exchange for its loans," which Shi believes that such 'infrastructure-for-resources' theory lacks a solid foundation.

"Based on the CKU trilateral agreement and information from the three governments, this argument falls short," Shi told the Global Times. "A former prime minister of Kyrgyzstan I spoke with during the field trip indicated that Kyrgyzstan would not accept proposals to exchange its resources for infrastructure, regardless of which country's company was involved."

However, the CKU railway, as a capital- and labor-intensive project, inevitably sparks discussions and concerns regarding land acquisition, labor issues, and environmental impacts. These factors could lead to potential risks in the narratives surrounding the project or even provoke heated controversies, the scholar cautioned. Shi called for the need for participating companies to enhance their awareness of local compliance, assess legal risks, and invest more in environmental and labor rights issues to anticipate and mitigate risks.

After communicating with the locals, Shi and his research team discovered that in recent years, Uzbekistan has faced power generation bottlenecks every winter, while Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan also experience shortfalls. Uzbekistan, with its large population and concentrated market, is undergoing significant reforms and has the potential to drive industrial growth in Southern Central Asia. The main challenge for industrial development in the region is high logistics costs, which can be addressed by the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway. 

Once completed, this railway will greatly enhance industrialization in Southern Central Asia, helping the region resist extremist ideologies and contributing to stability and development in China's border areas, according to the scholar.

"The CKU railway is a crucial part of reviving the ancient Silk Road. This 'artery' is expected to facilitate the free flow of capital, technology, and personnel, promoting the sharing of goods, resources, and outcomes. In this sense, the CKU railway holds profound historical significance on a global scale," the scholar concluded.