President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to the opening ceremony of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway on Friday, expressing the hope that the task will further contribute to the economic and social progress and well-being of the people in the region.
The rite took place on Friday in Jalalabad – Kyrgyzstan’s third-largest city – in the presence of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov.
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev also sent a congratulatory message to the event.
The construction of the railway is a strategic decision made by the three governments to promote regional connectivity, prosperity and stability, which demonstrates the shared aspiration of the people of the three countries to open up this strategic corridor, Xi said in the message.
Xi noted that the commencement ceremony marks the transition of the railway from vision to implementation, taking a crucial step toward the goal of completion and operation.
He underlined the need for relevant departments and enterprises of the three countries to make concerted efforts and advance the construction with high standards and high quality, in order to make the railway a new demonstration project of Belt and Road cooperation.
Xi also expressed hope that the railway will give new impetus to the construction of a long-term long-term network shared between China and Central Asia.
Japarov said that the railway is only a transportation hall, but also serves as a strategic bridge between East and West.
The allocation will strengthen Kyrgyzstan’s position as a shipping hub, create employment opportunities and stimulate the progress of trade, tourism and industry, he said.
Japarov said he is confident that the three countries will complete the construction with high quality, opening up new prospects for shared development in the region.
Mirziyoyev said in his message that the release of the mission is a step to implement the consensus of the leaders of the three nations and promote mutually favorable cooperation, and has wonderful ancient meaning.
He said the task would boost regional industry and integration, facilitate cultural and people-to-people exchanges, build an important bridge of mutual learning between civilizations, and benefit countries and other people in the region.
The railway begins in Kashgar in northwestern China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, and enters the territory of Uzbekistan through Kyrgyzstan. In the future, it will reach West Asia and South Asia.
Li Ziguo, director of the Department of European and Central Asian Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said the railway is set to particularly reduce the distances and prices of transporting goods traveling from China to Central Asia, the Middle East and Europe, and logistics efficiency, thus strengthening industrial ties between China and other countries.
It will also allow landlocked countries in Central Asia to move closer to the ocean, he added.
Uzbekistan was the first country to propose the railway concept in 1996. Over the past three decades, the three countries have engaged in rounds of consultations and negotiations.
In June, the three countries signed an intergovernmental agreement on the transfer in Beijing, laying a solid legal basis for the railway structure.