China Turkey new channel achieves great connectivity between Asia and Europe

Our reporter Liu Xu

Turkmenistan, located in Central Asia, was once an important node on the ancient Silk Road. Today, Turkmenistan's strategy of "Revitalizing the Silk Road" is highly consistent with China's initiative of jointly building the "the Belt and Road". In recent years, the practical cooperation between China and Turkey in jointly building the "the Belt and Road" and promoting the high-quality development of China EU regular trains has been deepening, and the railway cooperation between the two countries has broad prospects. In June of this year, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between China Railway Group Co., Ltd. and the Railway Administration of Turkmenistan, which is directly under the Cabinet of Ministers. The cooperation in the field of transportation represented by railways between the two countries is expected to achieve more results, which is of great significance for further strengthening bilateral economic and trade ties, developing international railway transportation channels passing through China and Turkmenistan, enhancing the level of railway interconnection between Asia and Europe, and carrying out international railway freight intermodal cooperation between the two countries and transit countries to third countries.

According to the reporter's understanding, Turkmenistan is actively promoting the construction of a railway system for cross-border transportation, aiming to make Turkey a large "transit hub" in the transportation system of the Eurasian continent. At present, the total length of railways in Turkmenistan exceeds 5000 kilometers, with more than 700 railway bridges, and a railway transportation pattern of east-west connection and north-south connection has been basically formed. There are railway docking stations between Turkmenistan and neighboring countries Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and Kazakhstan. It is worth mentioning that the Kazakhstan Turkmenistan Iran railway was opened in 2014. This railway line not only strengthens Turkmenistan's connections with other countries, but also provides new opportunities for its economic development and international cooperation.

China and Turkey are both members of the Railway Cooperation Organization and have maintained a good cooperative relationship under the multilateral platform framework, achieving fruitful results. In the field of cross-border railway infrastructure cooperation, Chinese made locomotives, passenger cars and other railway equipment account for more than 80% of the market share in Turkmenistan, and bear more than 90% of the railway capacity in Turkmenistan. The memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries in June provides a more realistic policy foundation for opening up new transportation channels, which will further facilitate the railway transportation channels between China and Europe and promote mutually beneficial and win-win development. It is reported that Turkmenistan attaches great importance to railway transportation cooperation between China and Turkmenistan, actively supporting the development of international railway freight transportation from China to Turkmenistan and transit from Turkmenistan to Europe, especially container transportation.

Transportation infrastructure can not only promote economic and social development along the route, but also enhance regional connectivity and have a significant impact on the geopolitical and economic landscape. The cooperation between China and Turkey's railways can further smooth the railway transportation channel between China and Europe, and promote mutually beneficial and win-win development.