Transport and logistics cooperation can create new opportunities for the region
With the expansion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to 10 member states, transport cooperation has acquired a prominent position in the organization's activities. The SCO spans a vast expanse, with member states ranging from Belarus in the west to India in the south, and from China in the east to Iran, while Afghanistan is an observer and Turkiye a dialogue partner. Furthermore, an opportunity is emerging for the first time to connect the land transport systems of the Indian subcontinent and Eurasia, including China. This geographic configuration creates the foundation for linking key trade regions across Eurasia and establishing new international transport routes.
One of the SCO's key responses to contemporary challenges is the development of alternative land-based transport links and the creation of a sustainable, interconnected digital transport ecosystem. This principle is shaping a new paradigm in the SCO's approach to logistics development. The Tianjin Declaration adopted on Sept 1, 2025, directly reflects this trend. At the same time, to achieve an integrated transport and logistics system for the SCO, it is necessary to eliminate the existing infrastructure gaps between the organization's subregions. One of the key challenges to transport interconnectivity among the SCO countries remains the insufficient railway connectivity. This hinders the formation of a unified, integrated railway network not only for the SCO but for all of Eurasia.
In March, at a meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, the heads of the railway administrations of the SCO members explored transport development road maps. In this regard, it was of particular importance that Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev formally proposed establishing a Council for the Integration of Railway Spaces of the SCO member states during the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting in Bishkek on Sept 1. Mirziyoyev noted that railway integration should form part of a broader transport connectivity system across SCO member states.
The Uzbek presidential press service said the proposed council would coordinate logistics infrastructure development and align the national transport systems of SCO member states. The creation of the council makes it possible to jointly eliminate existing barriers, including differences in railway gauge, technical standards and rolling stock parameters, as well as improve border procedures and unify transport documents.
The implementation of new transregional railway projects aimed at bridging existing infrastructure gaps and creating additional routes between Central, South and East Asia is of particular importance. Projects initiated and supported by Uzbekistan to build new railway lines are of significance that extends far beyond national infrastructure, acquiring a regional character.
Against the current geopolitical backdrop, Uzbekistan's participation in the SCO is acquiring particular strategic importance. Over the past five years, Uzbekistan's international freight traffic with other SCO member countries has increased by approximately 9 million metric tons, or 40 percent, reaching 33.5 million tons in 2025 and accounting for 80 percent of the country's total freight volume. According to Uzbek authorities, the largest shares went to Russia (33 percent), Kazakhstan (32 percent), China (16 percent) and Kyrgyzstan (10 percent). Freight traffic between Uzbekistan and other SCO member states could reach up to 47 million tons by 2030.
One of the most significant infrastructure projects is the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway. The Tianjin Declaration specifically noted the railway has commenced construction.
This project positions Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan as key links within a new transport and logistics network. The development of land routes will allow the countries in the region not only to compensate for their lack of direct sea access, but also to form a regional transport bridge among the largest markets of Eurasia.
Running about 523 kilometers in total, the project involves the construction of railway stations, bridges and tunnels, making it one of the most complex infrastructure projects in the region. The project's importance lies not only in shortening the distance between China and Central Asia, but also in creating a new component of the transportation network, which can later be integrated with routes to South Asia and onward to the ports of the Indian Ocean.
To link East Asian countries with South Asian countries, especially India and Pakistan, the swift implementation of another project vital to the region is necessary: the construction of the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway. This project will create a new international multimodal transport corridor capable of connecting the European Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States countries, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, with subsequent access to the markets of Southeast Asia.
The project's fundamental importance lies in establishing a new, shorter overland route and providing a direct transport link between the SCO countries via a unified railway network. As part of the project preparation, field studies have already been conducted, orthophoto maps and a digital terrain model have been prepared, and the technical part of the preliminary feasibility study for the route has been developed.
In July 2025, during the first meeting of the foreign ministers of the three countries in Kabul, a framework intergovernmental agreement was signed on the development of a feasibility study. The economic significance of the corridor extends beyond the transport sector. Its implementation could help bring Afghanistan's natural resources into economic circulation, create new jobs, develop infrastructure and establish new production and logistics chains.
On Feb 4, the framework agreement was ratified by a resolution of the Uzbek president. On Sept 30, a trilateral memorandum of understanding on cooperation under the CASA railway project was signed by authorities of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates, envisaging joint efforts to advance the development of a new railway corridor connecting Central and South Asia.
The most significant strategic effect will be achieved not simply by implementing individual railway construction projects, but through their synchronized development and mutual integration. This will allow for the formation of an interconnected system of transport routes, expand the transit and export potential of the SCO countries and create the conditions for redistributing freight flows among East, Central and South Asia.
In the long term, this will lay the groundwork for forming international multimodal transport corridors along the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India route, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran-Turkiye-EU route and CIS member states-Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan route, providing access to Indian Ocean ports.
Thus, the development of transport connectivity within the SCO creates opportunities not only for the member states as a whole, but also for individual regions, promoting their integration into international transport and logistics chains, expanding their transit potential and attracting new cargo flows.
The author is a department head of the Center for the Study of Transport and Logistics Development Problems at the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
Contact the editor at editor@chinawatch.cn.
