The signing ceremony of the credit agreement, which will provide funding for the construction of the railway project "China - Kyrgyzstan - Uzbekistan," was attended by Bakyt Torobayev, who holds the position of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Processing Industry.
The agreement was concluded between the LLC "China - Kyrgyzstan - Uzbekistan Railway Company," established in cooperation with the three countries, and a syndicate of banks from China, including the state development bank and the Export-Import Bank of China.
The total cost of the project will be 4.7 billion US dollars, of which about 2.3 billion dollars will be provided by the Chinese side in the form of a long-term loan for 35 years. The loan repayment will be carried out by the project company itself, while the remaining 2.3 billion dollars will be an investment in the authorized capital, divided among the countries: China will take 51%, while Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan will each take 24.5%.
At the event, Bakyt Torobayev noted that according to the important provisions of the investment agreement signed between the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan and the Joint Project Company, full financial closure was to be completed by December 20, 2025; however, this obligation has been fulfilled ahead of schedule.
“This event deserves high praise and underscores the readiness of the Joint Project Company to implement large international projects,” he added.
The General Director of LLC "China - Kyrgyzstan - Uzbekistan Railway Company," Zhou Xin, in turn, stated that the project company will focus on the effective use of the attracted funds and fulfilling all the terms of the agreement on time.
The construction of the "China - Kyrgyzstan - Uzbekistan" railway is considered one of the most complex infrastructure projects in the region, including the construction of 50 bridges and 29 tunnels with a total length of 120 kilometers. This means that about 40% of the route will pass over bridges and through tunnels, while the length of the railway in Kyrgyzstan will be 304 kilometers.
The official start of construction was given on December 27, 2024, by the presidents of the three countries. At that time, Sadyr Japarov, Xi Jinping, and Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized the strategic importance of this project for the development of regional integration and economic cooperation.
