Xi welcomes launch of key rail project

President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message on Friday to the commencement ceremony of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, expressing the hope that the project will further contribute to the economic and social development of the region and improve the well-being of the peoples. The construction of the railway is a strategic decision made by the three governments to promote regional connectivity, prosperity and stability, which demonstrates the shared aspiration of the people of the three countries to open up this strategic corridor, Xi said in the message. He underlined the need for relevant departments and enterprises of the three countries to make concerted efforts and advance the construction with high standards and high quality, in order to make the railway a new demonstration project of Belt and Road cooperation. Japarov said he is confident that the three countries will complete the construction with high quality, opening up new prospects for shared development in the region. Li Ziguo, director of the Department for European-Central Asian Studies under the China Institute of International Studies, said the railway is poised to dramatically reduce transportation distances and costs for goods traveling from China to Central Asia, the Middle East and Europe, and improve logistics efficiency, further strengthening trade ties between China and other countries.