Greater potential

During the summit in January, Xi said China would grant assistance of $500 million to Central Asian countries to support livelihood programs, and offer 5,000 places at seminars and workshops to help these countries train professionals in fields including health, poverty reduction, agricultural development and information technology.

Analysts and industry insiders have highlighted the significance of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway in further unleashing the potential for BRI cooperation between China and Central Asian nations.

Last month, China's National Development and Reform Commission said in a statement that a team of Chinese experts had arrived in Kyrgyzstan to conduct field work on the railway, marking the start of a feasibility study for the project.

In July, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov said during a meeting with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi that Kyrgyzstan regards the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway as an important link in building the Belt and Road Initiative, and is eager to advance and accelerate this state-level cooperation project.

Wang told Zhaparov that the time is right to build the rail link, and that China is ready to work with Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to speed up the feasibility study.

The rail line is expected to be 523 km long, including 213 km in China, 260 km in Kyrgyzstan and about 50 km in Uzbekistan.

Zhaparov said in a media interview in May that construction of the railway could start next year.

Zhao, from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said this project was launched as the BRI yielded tangible benefits and entered a phase of high-quality development, which spoke highly for the high level of recognition among Central Asian countries for the results produced by the BRI.

"The railway's construction and operations will serve as a new driver for the transportation, trade and economic growth of relevant nations－further promoting development of the BRI," she said.

Li Shengping, manager of a freight forwarder based in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, said that when it is completed, the railway will further increase the efficiency of China-Europe freight train services and energize the economic growth of countries along the route.

He expects the railway to help transform Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan into regional logistics centers, as it will become the shortest rail route to move Chinese goods to Europe and the Middle East, possibly reducing the transportation time by seven to eight days.

Li added that China's booming economic links with Central Asia have seen the emergence of hundreds of freight forwarders in Xinjiang, which borders the region.

"With construction of the railway, I am confident in the broader prospects for the industry," he added.

Dey Aleksander, an Uzbek national working as a senior marketing manager at the Central Asian branch of China Energy Co, said the BRI has produced quicker economic growth in Central Asia and promoted deeper bonds between people.

The initiative has also served as a key channel for boosting investment in the region and for raising standards of living, he said.

"The BRI has helped Central Asian countries to increase exchanges with other nations, especially as more people have started to get to know China and learn Chinese."