Why China is rapidly expanding its land trade routes to Central Asia

Beijing is seeking to diversify its export channels as geopolitical tensions destabilise maritime trade hubs Last year, China became the largest trading partner of all the Central Asian countries for the first time as trade jumped by 12 per cent to exceed US$100 billion. China’s exports to the region, dominated by high-value goods, are twice the value of its imports. It explains the rapid containerisation of cargo, a trend also evident in Chinese shipments to Europe. Since April last year, freight trains have been running between Chongqing in China and the Uzbek capital of Tashkent. Departing twice a month, the trains cross the Kazakh border and cover 4,700km in about 12 days, cutting the time taken to transport goods from southwestern China to Central Asian countries by 30 per cent, improving profitability.

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