en.Wedoany.com Reported - Uzbekistan's Minister of Transport, Ilkhom Makhkamov, met with Wang Jinxi, a director of China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. The two sides held in-depth discussions on China-Uzbekistan transport cooperation and the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project.

During the talks, the two sides focused on the construction progress of the strategically significant China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, noting that the project is currently advancing smoothly according to the established plan. The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway is of great importance for improving the regional international transport corridor, enhancing international freight capacity, and promoting regional trade and economic cooperation.

The two sides also exchanged views on further enhancing the attractiveness of the multimodal transport corridor through China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, improving logistics, and studying the possibility of granting important export status to the Kashgar port in China's Xinjiang region.

After the meeting, both sides agreed to continue strengthening practical cooperation in the transport sector, establish a regular communication mechanism for tracking project construction progress, regularly monitor the construction progress of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, and maintain close coordination and cooperation across all areas of transport.

The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project is a strategic project for connectivity between China and Central Asia, and a landmark project for the three countries' cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. The route extends from the existing railway in the Kashgar region, enters Kyrgyzstan via the Torugart Pass, undergoes transshipment at Makmal, then proceeds westward through the Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan border to Andijan in Uzbekistan. The total length of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway is approximately 542 kilometers, of which the section within China is about 167 kilometers, the section within Kyrgyzstan is about 305 kilometers, and the section within Uzbekistan is about 70 kilometers (utilizing existing lines). Currently, the construction of the main line within Kyrgyzstan is in an active phase, while the section within China has commenced tendering and preliminary preparations.