President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to the inauguration ceremony of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway on Friday, expressing his hope that the task will further contribute to the economic and social progress and well-being of the people in the region.
The rite took place on Friday in Jalalabad – the third largest city in Kyrgyzstan – in the presence of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov.
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev sent a message of congratulations on the event.
The railway structure is a strategic resolution adopted by the three governments to promote regional connectivity, prosperity and stability, demonstrating the common aspiration of the other people of the three countries to open up this strategic corridor, Xi said in the message. .
Xi noted that the rite of opening marks the railway’s transition from vision to implementation, taking a step toward the purpose of finishing touch and operation.
He expressed the hope that the relevant departments and enterprises of the three countries will make concerted efforts and push forward the structure with the highest criteria and quality, so as to make the railway a new demonstration mission of Belt and Road cooperation.
Xi also expressed hope that the railway will inject new impetus into building a closer long-term network shared between China and Central Asia.
Japarov said the railway is only a departure hall but also serves as a strategic bridge between East and West.
The project will strengthen Kyrgyzstan’s position as a transportation hub, create a great amount of job opportunities, and boost the development of trade, tourism and industry, he said.
Japarov expressed confidence that the three countries will complete construction, opening up new customers for shared progress in the region.
Mirziyoyev said in his message that the release of the mission is a step to implement the consensus of the leaders of the three nations and promote mutually favorable cooperation, and that it has wonderful ancient meaning.
He said the allocation will stimulate regional industry and integration, facilitate people-to-people exchanges and cultural exchanges, build a vital bridge of mutual learning between civilizations, and bring advantages to nations and people in the region.
The railway begins in Kashgar in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of northwest China and enters the territory of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan. In the future, it will be successful in West Asia and South Asia.
Li Ziguo, director of the Department of European and Central Asian Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said the railway is set to particularly reduce the distances and prices of transporting goods traveling from China to Central Asia, the Middle East and Europe, and logistics efficiency, thus strengthening industrial ties between China and other countries.
It will also allow landlocked countries in Central Asia to move closer to the ocean, he added.
Uzbekistan was the first country to propose the railway concept in 1996. Over the past three decades, the three countries have engaged in rounds of consultations and negotiations.
In June, the three countries signed an intergovernmental agreement on the handover in Beijing, laying a solid legal foundation for the railway structure.