As a region with a large territorial border with China, Central Asia has a very special significance for China's national security. Therefore, for many years, China has been strengthening its ties with the region in order to maintain its peace and stability. A few days ago, at a time when the situation in the direction of the Taiwan Strait was tense, 80 Chinese experts arrived in Kyrgyzstan and began to participate in the evaluation project of the China-Kyrgyzstan Railway.
Photo: Photo published by the Kyrgyz media
This is not only the most substantial progress that the outside world has learned since the launch of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project. At the same time, it also marks China's strategic layout in Central Asia and has taken another firm step.
As the name suggests, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway directly involves three countries, China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. However, the countries it can affect are far more than Zhongjiwu. Once the railway is completed, it will not only become the shortest passage from China to Europe and the Middle East, but also other neighboring countries are also within the radiation range of this traffic artery.
Photo note: Preliminary planning of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway
Due to the obvious importance of this railway, the three countries of China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan and all neighboring parties have placed high hopes on it. When the program first came out in 1997, it caused a positive response in many countries. However, things did not go as smoothly as expected, and due to various reasons, the project was silent for about 25 years.
First of all, a very important reason is Russia's opposition. On the one hand, the original land transportation in Asia and Europe often had to take the northern route through Russia. Once The completion of China-Kyrgyzstan, the volume of freight and passenger flow in Russia is likely to decline significantly, and the Russian side is unlikely to be willing to see this happen.
Photo note: Putin only relaxed on this matter this year
Central Asia, on the other hand, borders Russia, is also considered a strategic location. So Russia has been tightening its grip on the region. The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway, which may greatly enhance the autonomy of Central Asian countries in regional affairs, is naturally relatively rejected by the Russian side.
In addition, due to the many aspects involved in the railway, the problems faced are also endless. For example, the extremely important gauge problem, China's railway gauge is the use of the international standard of 1435mm, while Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan were former Republics of the Soviet Union, the use of gauge is 1520mm. This means that there is always a side to compromise and build a completely new railway according to new standards.
Note: Gauge is also a big issue
In addition, a series of reasons, including the lack of negotiation of funds and the rapid change in the political environment, have more or less hindered the advancement of the project. It was not until the middle of this year, when Putin relented and did not mean to oppose the project, that the railway was put back on the agenda.
The reason for the change in attitude of the Putin government is also very simple: in the context of the current intensification of confrontation between Russia and the West, there is no need for Russia to make unpleasant trouble with Central Asian countries. At the same time, the Russian side is also reassessing the significance of this railway, and in the current situation, Russia is also one of the beneficiaries of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway.
After the completion of the railway, Russia will inevitably be the beneficiary
After the Russian side made a breakthrough statement, the three countries of China, Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine immediately carried out relevant work, and the Chinese side acted even more rapidly. At the end of July, Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with senior officials from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan one after another and said that all three countries believe that the time is ripe to implement the project and that Chinese professionals are in place. The 80 Chinese experts arrived in Kyrgyzstan and carried out their work, just after Foreign Minister Wang Yi's speech.
It can be seen that the Chinese side attaches great importance to the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway, because the significance of this project is not only simple passenger or freight. In fact, since the planning of the railway and its supporting projects, the links between the parties involved have been constantly strengthening. An important positioning of this railway by the Chinese side is likely to be the "needle of the sea god" for stabilizing the situation in Central Asia.
Photo note: Chinese experts are already working with Kyrgyzstan
Because traffic congestion and relative economic development have always been the crux of the problems faced by Central Asian countries. The direct impact of these circumstances is that the security situation in the region is extremely unstable, and some winds and grasses that seem sparse and ordinary to the outside world may become the fuse for triggering contradictions.
During the year, large-scale riots in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have had a great impact on the situation in their own countries and even in the surrounding areas. The former was caused by rising domestic energy prices, while the latter was the result of a referendum.d'êt. Although both governments have said that external forces have instigated the people, the fact that they can be transformed into a riot of this scale shows that there are huge hidden dangers within these countries.
Photo note: Massive unrest in Kazakhstan at the beginning of this year
If the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway is successfully built, the situation should change a lot. On the one hand, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway can connect neighboring countries, promote their exchanges and cooperation, break the original relatively closed environment, and alleviate existing contradictions to a certain extent. On the other hand, China can also bring the dividends of its own development to these countries through the channel of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway. When the people's lives are better, the society will naturally be stable, and there will be little room for external forces to intervene.
Overall, the arrival of 80 Chinese experts in Kyrgyzstan and the start of a feasibility assessment of the China-Kyrgyzstan railway is a rather positive signal. This represents China's layout in Central Asia, which is steadily advancing. As long as Central Asia, as China's rear, can settle down, China will have a more stable external environment to face the next challenges.