New shipping channel opens to Uzbekistan

Shipping containers loaded with construction materials departed by train from Langfang, Hebei province, on Tuesday morning and will arrive in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in about 12 days, according to China Railway Beijing Group Co.

It is the first freight train to start from a city located on a China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan route, which is relatively new for connecting China and Central Asian countries.

Starting from Langfang, the train will stop first in Kashgar, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. The shipping containers will then be transported over a transnational highway, exiting the country through the Irkeshtam port in Xinjiang. It will then go to Kyrgyzstan's Osh and then be transferred to a train from Osh to Tashkent.

Irkeshtam is China's farthest-west land port open to Kyrgyzstan. The total journey is approximately 6,000 kilometers, according to Taitong International Transport (Langfang) Co, which organized the shipments.

Including steelwork, insulation pipes and pipe trusses, the cargo's total weight is more than 1,000 metric tons, the company said.

Other new routes along the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan corridor are also in use. A freight train, carrying office furniture, air conditioners and other small home appliances, also departed from Guangzhou, Guangdong province, to Uzbekistan on Tuesday, marking the 18th international route to leave from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The train will also pass through Kashgar, Erkeshtam and finally arrive in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, according to the railway operator.

Compared with traditional shipping methods, the multimodal international freight service will save about five days in the export of goods from the GBA to Uzbekistan, providing a more convenient and faster channel for trade with Central Asia.

Previously, most goods exported from China to Central Asian countries and regions were transported by China-Europe freight trains, passing the Khorgos port in Xinjiang.

With the rapid increase in trade volume and the intensification of traffic congestion at Khorgos port, there has been an urgent need to open a new channel to help accelerate the flow of goods between China and Central Asian countries and regions, according to the operators.