BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, December 29. A strategic infrastructure project involving China in Kyrgyzstan is the construction of the Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway, implemented with the participation of China Railway International, Trend reports via the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB).
China holds a 51% stake in the joint venture. The total volume of Chinese investments is estimated at $3.53 billion, of which part is financed through the company’s own funds, while $2.35 billion is provided in the form of concessional loans from Chinese financial institutions.
Construction officially started in December 2024, with the launch of railway operations expected by 2030. The railway line, stretching over 500 km, more than half of which runs through Kyrgyzstan, is expected to enhance the country’s transit potential as part of a transport corridor linking China with the Middle East and Europe.
Earlier, the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Kyrgyzstan has completed the procedures for joining the multilateral permit system of the Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia (TRACECA).
The TRACECA permit grants the carrier, to whom it is issued, the right to carry out transportation across the territories of all participating countries in the TRACECA Permit System, along the specified route, and exempts the carrier from the need to obtain permits required by bilateral agreements on international road transport between the respective countries participating in the TRACECA Permit System.