One of the main topics of discussion for a long time between the People's Republic of China (PRC), Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan was the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway project (CKU). This project was postponed indefinitely due to disagreements between the parties and the PRC's reduced interest in implementing the project. However, the increasing role of China's economic interests in the region and beyond requires rethinking the prospects for this project's implementation in the context of modern geopolitical and economic realities. The article analyzes the causal relationships that have contributed to delays in the project's implementation to date, as well as the collective efforts of the participating states aimed at its successful implementation. First, attention is focused on the interests of the PRC as the main investor and initiator of the project, which emphasizes its strategic role in this context. Secondly, a comprehensive analysis of the views and positions of the other main project participants — Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan — is conducted, which reveals their expectations and concerns related to the CKU implementation. Thirdly, Russia's position on this project is examined, which may have a significant impact on its implementation due to the historical context and existing political and economic ties in the region. Thus, this article aims to comprehensively study the multifaceted nature of the participation and interaction of the participating countries in implementing the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project, as well as to identify its geopolitical and economic consequences for Central Asia.
Gulov et al. (2025) studied this question.