China has launched two multimodal transport routes to Central Asia. The first goes to Kazakhstan’s Almaty and a second one goes the capital city of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek. The majority of both services is being carried out via rail.
Almaty, the largest city of Kazakhstan, is now getting Chinese cars manufactured in the border region of Xinjiang via rail. The first trainload, launched earlier in October, consisted of 261 cars with a value of around 3,8 million US dollars. The route will likely grow in importance for Chinese cars exports, as they are becoming increasingly popular in Central Asia. By the end of the year, it is estimated that over 15,000 cars will be transported on the route.
Besides Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan’s nearby capital city of Bishkek has also been discovered by Chinese trains. Container goods from the island of Hainan are now being sent to Bishkek first via maritime transport, and afterward by rail via the Central Chinese logistics hub of Wuhan. The route, operated by Cosco, cuts travelling times by 7 days and costs by 20 per cent, the logistics company says.
China – Kyrgyzstan – Uzbekistan
China is increasingly looking to Central Asia as a transit hub for its goods, but also as export markets. Earlier this year, China also launched a rail service to Uzbekistan, bordering both Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. For now, all these transport services go through Kazakhstan, since the country has a developed rail network that is connected to its Chinese counterpart.
However, China is also financing the majority of the anticipated China – Kyrgyzstan – Uzbekistan line, the construction of which is supposed to start this month. It would offer an alternative route and additional capacity for China – Central Asian services.
European Silk Road Summit 2024
Central Asian rail freight will be one of the key topics to be discussed at the European Silk Road Summit 2024, taking place in Vienna on 27-28 November.
Registrations for the yearly event are already open, while the programme, which this year highlights the fast-recovering China-Europe rail market, is shaping up.