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Belt and Road Initiative
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‘Carries the region’s hopes’: Xi hails Kyrgyzstan project as China ramps up railway push

China’s Kyrgyzstan rail pledge highlights wider drive to knit Asia together and strengthen trade links

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President Xi Jinping and Kyrgyz counterpart Sadyr Japarov sign a joint declaration on the development of the China-Kyrgyzstan partnership on Monday. Photo: Xinhua
Sherry Wangin Beijing
As President Xi Jinping hailed a cross-border railway project via Kyrgyzstan during his visit to the Central Asian country, Beijing is accelerating efforts to expand railway links with neighbours – from Mongolia to Vietnam – to boost regional trade and hedge against rising geopolitical risks.

Meeting with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov in Bishkek on Monday, Xi stressed the importance of building a “high-quality China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway”, describing it as “a major transportation artery that carries the region’s hopes for development”, according to state news agency Xinhua.

Xi and Japarov pledged in a joint declaration on Monday to ensure the railway’s timely completion while creating favourable conditions to guarantee its traffic volume and operational efficiency.

“The railway is more than just a transit line – it is a strategic lever reshaping the regional landscape,” said Li Lifan, an expert on Russia and Central Asia at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

“For China, it creates a safer and more efficient supply chain; for landlocked nations like Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, it presents a historical opportunity to transform into land-linked hubs.”
The railway is part of China’s expanding cross-border network under the Belt and Road Initiative, as Beijing steps up infrastructure investment to strengthen trade links and regional connectivity across Asia, Africa and Europe.
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