A freight train quietly departed from Lanzhou, Gansu, and the White House was now uneasy: worried about losing the means to contain China!
According to a report from the Ministry of Transport of Tajikistan, a freight train carrying 8 containers recently quietly left Lanzhou, Gansu, heading westward with its destination being Tajikistan. The entire journey is over 3,500 kilometers long, and it is expected to take 18 to 20 days. This train travels along the newly opened container train route between China and Tajikistan, operated by UTK International Logistics Co., Ltd., a joint venture between China and Tajikistan.
Why is this freight train departing from Lanzhou so important? Let's analyze it. Don't underestimate this train; it is actually a small node in the entire network. To understand its significance, we need to broaden our perspective. In July 2025, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway officially entered the full construction phase. This railway starts from Kashgar, Xinjiang, passes through Kyrgyzstan, and finally reaches Andijan in Uzbekistan, with a total length of 523 kilometers. Once completed, this 500-kilometer stretch will become one of the shortest land routes for Chinese goods to reach Europe.
Looking further west, there is another route called the "Middle Corridor," also known as the Caspian Sea international transport route. This route bypasses Russia and Iran, crossing the Caspian Sea from Kazakhstan, passing through Azerbaijan and Georgia, and finally reaching Turkey and Europe. How much does the EU value this route? It has directly pledged to invest 10 billion euros to develop it.
If you connect these points, you can see a complete picture: starting from western China, passing through Central Asia, crossing the Caspian Sea, and heading all the way west to Europe. This is a major land route that completely bypasses traditional maritime routes.
Some may ask: isn't shipping by sea cheaper? Why spend a lot of money building railways? This relates to the "Malacca dilemma." The Strait of Malacca is a critical chokepoint connecting the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. One-quarter of global trade cargo and one-third of crude oil pass through here. The narrowest part is only 2.8 kilometers wide, and if there is a geopolitical conflict or it is deliberately blocked, the consequences would be unimaginable.
More troubling is that the jurisdiction of this strait is not under China's control. Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia jointly manage it, while the U.S. Navy has a strong military presence nearby. In other words, China's energy and trade lifelines are, to some extent, in others' hands. The United States has long used controlling key maritime channels as an important means to maintain global influence. If China can significantly reduce its reliance on the Strait of Malacca, the U.S. will lose a significant card in this game. Therefore, this is the real significance of this train, and also why the U.S. military has recently been talking about returning to Afghanistan.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1857970464427338/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.