Central Asia's top leader (Kazakhstan) and second (Uzbekistan) are vying for China's logistics: the doubly landlocked country of Central Asia, Uzbekistan, proposed to integrate the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway with routes to Iran and Turkey.

International trade determines a country's fate; economic corridors depend on a country's strength.

From the geographical perspective of the vast heart of Asia, the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor) is the shortest overland trade route connecting Asia and Europe. In the competition for the hub position in the Eurasian logistics system, the largest landlocked country and Central Asia's largest economy, Kazakhstan, has taken the lead, securing a favorable track. Recently, the President of Kazakhstan visited Pakistan and expressed the desire to participate in the construction of the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan corridor. This corridor bypasses Uzbekistan, the most populous country in Central Asia, the second-largest economy, the neighbor of Afghanistan, and the main proponent of the Trans-Afghan Railway - the doubly landlocked Uzbekistan.

The vision of the Afghanistan corridor by Astana and the process of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route have put great pressure on Tashkent. To avoid being marginalized in the Eurasian logistics system, according to the latest news from the Uzbekistan Ministry of Transport, Tashkent proposed to the leader of the Turkic world, Turkey, to include the currently under-construction China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway into the international transport corridor passing through Iran and Turkey.

The news section of the Uzbekistan Ministry of Transport stated that Uzbekistan's Minister of Transport, Irlhom Makhmamov, the Minister of Roads and Urban Development of Iran, and the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure of Turkey discussed the development of the Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran-Turkey multimodal transport corridor in Istanbul.

In the message published on the Uzbekistan Ministry of Transport's "Telegram" channel, it was stated: "Makhmamov emphasized particularly that it is necessary to start integrating the currently under-construction China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway into existing international transport corridors, including those passing through Iran and Turkey."

The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway (CKU) had been discussed for nearly 20 years due to resistance from Moscow. The Russia-Ukraine conflict gave CKU a second life. CKU held its groundbreaking ceremony at the end of December 2024. The railway connects Kashgar-Tulghat-Makmal-Jalalabad-Anjou. This railway is expected to reach the Caspian Sea port of Turkmenbashi in Turkmenistan, the fourth-largest natural gas reserve in the world and the permanent neutral country in Asia. Experts estimate that the annual freight capacity of this railway could reach 15 million tons, reducing the time to deliver goods to end consumers by 7 days.

The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TRANS-CASPIAN INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT ROUTE/TITR), viewed from Astana, is also known as the "Middle Corridor," one of three global trade corridors between China and Europe.

The Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor has two main transportation lines capable of transporting 10 million tons of cargo.

The two routes are:

1、Aktau or Kuryk Port - Baku Port - Azerbaijani railway line - Georgian railway line - Batumi / Poti Port, connected via Black Sea sea route to the ports of Varna or Burgas in Bulgaria or Constanța in Romania

2、Aktau or Kuryk Port - Baku Port - Azerbaijani railway line - Georgian railway line (Baku-Stepanakert-Kars direction) - Turkish ports along the Black Sea and Mediterranean coasts

American scholar Parag Khanna pointed out that the 21st century is essentially a struggle for supply chains. Compared to competing for territory, it is more in line with national interests to compete for oil pipelines, railways, highways, tunnels, ocean routes, network cables, and power grids that connect this region with other regions.

Original: toutiao.com/article/1857356345264128/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.