The China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway will become a ‘second Kumtor’ — the president

The construction of the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway will enable Kyrgyzstan to break out of its transport isolation and gain a new source of long-term revenue, the country’s President Sadyr Japarov stated on his Facebook page.

According to him, once the project is completed, Kyrgyzstan will be able to become a transit country through whose territory an important transport route between China and global markets will pass.

“Transit shipments will bring Kyrgyzstan a stable and long-term income comparable to that currently provided by the ‘Kumtor’ gold mine. It could be said that this will become the country’s second ‘Kumtor’,” said the head of state.

The President noted that Kyrgyzstan currently remains a country without direct access to key global transport corridors. According to him, both the country’s rail and road infrastructure remain limited, which means that exports and imports are largely dependent on external factors.

At the same time, Kyrgyzstan requires the assistance of foreign specialists to implement the project. According to the President, training domestic personnel to build such a railway line could take decades.

“We cannot afford to wait, so we have already begun implementing the project,” he noted.

The President emphasised that halting the construction of the railway could lead to the country remaining dependent on external transport links and slow down economic development.

The China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway project is regarded by the authorities as one of the key infrastructure projects, which is expected to expand the country’s export opportunities, increase its transit potential and integrate Kyrgyzstan into international trade routes.