Today, Tashkent will host the tripartite meeting devoted to the construction of China - Kyrgyzstan - Uzbekistan railway.
China delegation will be represented by Deputy General Director at National Development and Reform Commission Zheng Jiping, Kyrgyzstan - Minister of Transport Djamshitbek Kalilov and the First Deputy Chairman of Uzbekistan Railways Akbar Shukurov, Uzbek foreign ministry said.
Starting from December 25, working groups of the three countries have been preparing materials for the upcoming meeting.
This rail link will be boost Kyrgyzstan's and Uzbekistan's trade with China. This project is very ambitious, though only about 500 kilometers long, as it must travel through the mountains of western China and Kyrgyzstan, sometimes at up to 3,500 meters altitude, and requires construction of nearly 50 tunnels and over 90 bridges.
The line would start in Kashgar, in China's Xinjiang Region, and run through Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan's eastern town of Pap in the Ferghana Valley.
According to the provisional project parameters, the route from East Asia to the Middle East and Southern Europea will be cut by about 900 kilometers, and will take 7-8 days less.
