Looking forward to the day when the China Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan Railway is opened (International Echoes, Great Power Diplomacy, 2025 Review)

On December 27, 2024, the launch ceremony of the China Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan railway project was held in Jalalabad, a border city in Kyrgyzstan.   The high attention of the three heads of state has made us truly feel the weight of this railway and the heavy mission and responsibility.

In his congratulatory letter, President Xi Jinping pointed out that the construction of the China Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan Railway is a strategic decision made by the governments of the three countries with a focus on regional connectivity and promoting regional prosperity and stability. It demonstrates the people of the three countries' beautiful desire to open up this strategic channel.  


  The China Central Asia mechanism is one of the most important cooperation mechanisms between regions, providing strong guarantees for the implementation of many projects. We are participants and beneficiaries of cooperation between Central Asian countries and China.

Building a railway that crosses mountains is a long cherished wish of the people in the region. The China Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan Railway Project starts from Kashgar, Xinjiang, China, enters Kyrgyzstan through the Turgat Pass, then heads west through Jalalabad, and finally reaches the eastern city of Andijan in Uzbekistan. This railway connects the three countries and is also a transportation artery that runs through Central Asia and radiates the entire Eurasian continent. It is not only of great significance to the development of the three countries, but also has a profound impact on the prosperity and progress of the entire Central Asian region.

I have been working in the railway system of Kyrgyzstan for 11 years, and have been involved in the preparation work of the China Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan railway project since its inception. The planned railway route passes through many remote mountainous areas, and many people along the route have never walked out of the mountains. We look forward to the railway construction driving the development of the areas along the line, allowing the people along the line to enjoy convenient travel, and allowing tourists from the three countries to enter each other's scenery.

As railway builders, we are well aware of the great difficulty of the construction of the China Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan railway project. The route passes through high mountains and steep hills, with significant technical challenges, large engineering volumes, and multiple coordination tasks, testing us at every stage. Fortunately, we have a strong team of managers and engineers from the three countries working side by side and working closely together. Colleagues from the Chinese railway system are professional, rigorous, responsible, experienced, and willing to share the latest technology, which is crucial for solving technical problems and promoting engineering construction. The participation of railway enterprises from China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in project construction reflects the spirit of consultation, co construction and sharing.

As the Deputy General Manager of China Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan Railway Co., Ltd., my main responsibility is to coordinate the approval of land, environmental, and social affairs, and maintain communication with relevant departments. Almost every month, my colleagues and I travel from the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, to the construction site to work with local governments, contractors, and others. The farthest place takes 8 hours by car, but the thought of this being a strategically significant passage makes it feel like all the hard work is worth it.

In April of this year, construction began on three tunnels in Kyrgyzstan, namely Ferghana Mountain, Naren No.1, and Koshtbo. These tunnels are located in high-altitude and cold regions, all of which are single tunnels and single tracks with a length of over 10 kilometers. They are key control projects of the China Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan Railway. To ensure the progress of the project, we create all conditions to carry out winter construction. At this moment, the staff of the three countries are still sticking to the construction site, fighting hard to advance the project construction with high standards and high quality.

There are numerous magnificent natural landscapes along the China Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan Railway, such as the Fergana Basin and the Naren River. In order to protect these precious natural landscapes, with the support of the Chinese railway design team, we have repeatedly compared plans and finally found a route that meets technical requirements while avoiding natural reserves, achieving a balance between engineering construction and ecological protection.

I am very much looking forward to the day when the railway is opened. At that time, I will bring my family and colleagues from the construction team to experience the ride together. I will tell my family: I have fought on this railway and worked together with colleagues from China and Uzbekistan to turn my dreams into reality.

(The author is Kulov Ulan Temurbekovic, Deputy General Manager of China Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan Railway Co., Ltd., and was interviewed and compiled by our reporter Qu Pei.)