On the eve of the second Central Asia-China Summit, the leaders of China and Kazakhstan signed more than 10 cooperation agreements on June 16, 2025, and the construction of cross-border railways has become the core achievement of deepening connectivity. As a model project of the Belt and Road Initiative, China and Kazakhstan have built three strategic corridors, Alashankou, Khorgos and Tacheng-Ayaguz, building a land transportation network that radiates Asia and Europe, demonstrating China's infrastructure strength and the concept of openness and win-win results.

Alashankou: the golden channel of China-Europe trains

This earliest cross-border railway has become the main logistics artery of Asia and Europe. In 2024, more than 7,000 China-Europe freight trains will pass, and the freight volume will account for one-third of the country's railway ports. China's innovative "wide gauge reloading + intelligent inspection" model has increased the efficiency of refitting by 60%, and more than 200 kinds of commodities such as new energy vehicles have reached Europe and Asia. After the opening of the second line from Jinghe to Alashankou, the time and space distance between western China and Central Asia was further shortened.

Khorgos: Smart port leads the world

As China's first "smart railway port", Khorgos will rank first in the country with 6,800 China-Europe freight trains in 2024. China's self-developed H986 machine inspection system achieves "20-minute fast customs clearance", driving the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta manufacturing products to go overseas efficiently. The "image mutual recognition" mechanism of China-Kazakhstan data interconnection has created a new paradigm of cross-border trade facilitation.

Tacheng: A new strategic channel empowers regional development

The Tacheng-Ayaguz railway, which is under construction, will form a third energy transport corridor and is expected to shorten the distance to the sea in Central Asia by 1,000 kilometers when it opens in 2027. This corridor connects resource-rich areas such as the Karamay Oilfield, which will activate the construction of the Tacheng Pilot Zone and improve the layout of China's "land-sea combined transport" network. China and Kazakhstan have included it in the overall plan of the China-Europe Railway Express, demonstrating China's long-term plan for regional development.

From three railways to a three-dimensional network, China is reshaping the economic and trade map of Asia and Europe with its hard power of infrastructure and soft power of institutions. In 2024, the trade volume between China and Kazakhstan will reach 65 billion US dollars, and China has been Kazakhstan's largest trading partner for 30 consecutive years. These steel silk roads are not only logistics channels, but also a vivid practice of the concept of mutual benefit and win-win development advocated by China, injecting strong impetus into the construction of a China-Central Asia community with a shared future.(This article is from the official website of Seetao www.seetao.com. Reprinting without permission is strictly prohibited. Please indicate Seetao.com + original link when reprinting) Seetao.com Strategy Column Editor/Sun Fengjuan