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China expands rail and road trade routes to Central Asia under Belt and Road

China became the largest trading partner for all Central Asian countries, with regional trade up 12.0% to more than US$100 billion last year, as freight links cut transit time by 30.0%.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Trade & Tariffs

SCMP Economy reports that over the past year, China’s Belt and Road Initiative has accelerated development of new land logistics routes linking Chinese industrial centers with transport hubs in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan.

The outlet says China’s improved connectivity is tied to rising trade momentum and Central Asia’s growing role in continental logistics. It also cites a first time on record that China became the largest trading partner of all the Central Asian countries, as trade jumped 12.0% to more than US$100 billion last year, with China’s exports to the region valued at about twice its imports.

SCMP Economy adds that freight trains have been running since April last year between Chongqing and Tashkent, departing twice a month. The trains cross the Kazakh border and cover 4,700 km in about 12 days, reducing transport time for goods from southwestern China to Central Asia by 30.0% and improving profitability.

The report also highlights faster containerisation of cargo, noting that the same trend has been evident in Chinese shipments to Europe.

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