BISHKEK, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The China-Europe freight rail routes are emerging as an important driver of the development of Central Asian countries, a Kyrgyz market expert has said.
Traversing Central Asian countries, China-Europe freight rail service turns out to be a major project that brings both economic and infrastructural benefits to the region and, most importantly, contributes to improving the quality of life for the population, not least by creating new jobs, Sergei Ponomarev, president of the Association of Markets of Kyrgyzstan, said in a recent interview with Xinhua.
The train service transported 53 categories of goods, covering a vast array of more than 50,000 items, according to the 2nd China Railway Express Cooperation Forum, held in early November in Xi'an, the capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, under the theme "Connecting Asia and Europe for a Shared Future."
China-Europe freight trains are bringing an increasing number of branded products from various countries to the Chinese market, while also providing several landlocked countries in Eurasia with access to maritime routes.
Recalling the historical roots of regional connectivity, Ponomarev said that the ancient Silk Road was far more than a set of trade routes: its caravans shaped infrastructure and fostered cultural exchange. Goods such as Chinese silk reached Europe through routes that passed through what is now Kyrgyzstan.
Ponomarev described the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative as an effort to continue this historic role.
"Replicating this experience, the joint construction of the Belt and Road, is undoubtedly a megaproject," he said. "Kyrgyzstan was among the first to support it."
He emphasized that the international environment has made traditional logistics routes more complicated, increasing the value of new overland corridors. Modern rail routes linking China with Central Asia and onward to Europe now function as the new Silk Road, providing faster, more reliable, and more diversified pathways.
Kyrgyzstan will serve as an important link between one of the world's largest economies -- China -- and both Eastern and Western Europe, he said, adding that as these rail corridors expand, Central Asia is becoming a more convenient and strategic bridge in this process. ■