"We have turned out to be hostages of the sanctions policy", - Uzbek President

Events around Ukraine and in the Middle East have led to the disruption of traditional trade and transportation chains. This was stated by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the meeting of heads of Central Asian states.

"We have turned out to be hostages of the sanctions policy, logistical costs have noticeably increased, inflationary pressure is growing. Opportunities on the world capital market are shrinking, protectionism is increasing and new barriers are appearing," he emphasized.

The President of Uzbekistan invited his colleagues to take measures to simplify trade turnover between the countries of the region:

- eliminate tariff and non-tariff barriers

- mutually recognize certificates of conformity and unify regulations

- accelerate digitalization of customs operations and phytosanitary procedures

- Ensure mutual access to public procurement

"Kazakhstan Railways" together with Chinese and Uzbek colleagues organized a service for accelerated delivery of cargo from China to Uzbekistan by transit through Kazakhstan.

A container train arrived in the capital of Uzbekistan, which traveled almost 4.5 thousand kilometers in five days.

The cargo train went from the Kazakh-Chinese terminal in Xi'an to the dry port KTZE Khorgos Gateway, where containers were reloaded and sent by railroads of Kazakhstan to the station Saryagash on the border with Uzbekistan and further to the final point - railway station Tashkent.

The transportation time was reduced due to the terminal of Kazakhstan Railways in PRC, reconstruction and improvement of technological processes at the Saryagash junction station, as well as agreements between the authorities of China, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to simplify bureaucratic procedures at customs.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

As of July 26, 2024, since the beginning of the current year on the route of multimodal international freight traffic “China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan” was recorded 100 departures of freight trains, which is 103.94 percent more than a year earlier. This was reported by Urumqi branch of the Corporation “Chinese Railways” /CRC/.

Multimodal transport corridor “China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan” is a logistics highway that passes through China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan and operates in the format of mixed freight transportation by road and rail. Containers are first delivered by rail to Kashgar North Station /Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Northwest China/, then exported from China by road through Irkeshtam border crossing point, and finally delivered to Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, and further to other countries.

With the further implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, trade cooperation between China and West and Central Asian countries has become increasingly close in recent years. Especially since the beginning of 2024, there has been a rapid increase in the volume of goods transported by rail to Kashgar for transit from the country. By now, the figure has exceeded 100,000 tons, up 53,300 tons from a year earlier.

After the opening of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan multimodal transport corridor in 2020, freight trains started to run along this route in turn from such areas of China as the Guangdong-Syangan-Aomen Greater Bay Area, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Sichuan and Jiangsu provinces. The categories of goods transported have expanded from more than 30 kinds of goods in the beginning, such as clothing and metal tools, to more than 300 kinds now, including new energy vehicles and spare parts.

The PRC, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan are preparing to launch the construction of a railroad that will connect the three countries. The construction of the highway, which will cost $4.7 billion, is planned to be completed in six years. About 15 million tons of cargo can be transported along it annually. Beijing will allocate half of the sum, while Tashkent and Bishkek - a quarter each. This railroad may become a part of the Middle Way - a route from China to Europe bypassing Russia. However, it is not excluded that the credit dependence of the participating states on China will increase. For example, it is actively discussed that Kyrgyzstan has no money of its own to participate in the project.

For China, this railroad will open new ways to enter the markets of Europe, South Asia and the Middle East, improving its interaction with Central Asian states. For Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, it will help them break out of their transport isolation and develop their transit potential

Urgench International Airport will be closed from July 20 to August 7, 2024 in connection with the reconstruction of the runway, Uzbekistan Airports reports.

During this period, all scheduled flights will be redirected to Nukus International Airport.

Passengers will be provided with free shuttle service between Nukus and Urgench airports.