The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway, a major project under the Belt and Road Initiative that began construction this year, is expected to facilitate logistics between China and Central Asia, said a logistic provider from Uzbekistan.
Alex Jasur Mavlyanov, CEO of Shanghai CHK International Logistics, has spent the past decade helping to ship heavy equipment from China to Central Asia, with his business growing month by month.
"A lot of infrastructure is being built in central Asia, including Uzbekistan, so, we're trying to take on project logistics more," he said.
In 2018, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan highway was opened, which allowed Mavlyanov's company to transport in a more convenient way. But trucks also face challenges of unpredictability and delays.
"When the infrastructure, the roads are smooth and everything, it's fine. But unfortunately, when you use land transportation, it's seasonal. So for example, during winter time, there's heavy snow in central Asia, in the desert and there's a lot of unpredictability," he said.
With China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan Railway now under construction, Mavlyanov has high hopes for faster, more reliable shipping in the future.
"As a railway, it provides one thing definitely — the stability. It doesn't really matter, there's snow or rain. It doesn't stop, it just goes from A to B without any problems," he said.
The construction of the railway will not only boost trade between China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. It will also facilitate cargo transport to the other three Central Asian countries.
In 2024, China's trade with Central Asian nations reached some 94.8 billion US dollars, with large amounts of cargo shipped every day between the two sides.
Though the railway is expected to be completed in six years, Magliano's long-term plan of staying in China won't make the waiting time that difficult.
"I'm seeing my future here for the next at least 10, 15, 20 years and maybe we will make the company into Forbes, make it public very soon. That's the plan," he said.
China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway expected to facilitate regional logistics
