Kyrgyzstan is looking for money to build its part of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railway line. In an interview about the country’s debt situation, the president reassured the people that no unfeasible loans would be taken. Where the money for the CKU line is going to come from remains unclear.
While Kyrgyzstan is willing to take out loans for the construction of hydroelectric dams, president Sadyr Zhaparov acknowledged that the CKU line demands more deliberation. Kyrgyzstan’s mountainous landscape is difficult to traverse, which makes the construction of the railway a costly affair. Additionally, the project is only expected to pay itself back in 35 to 40 years.
On the other hand, Zhaparov points out that the CKU line will ‘serve the Kyrgyz people and our country all our lives’, and turn the country into a transit country instead of a dead end. Kyrgyzstan is looking to finance the railway by means other than foreign borrowings and will soon start its construction, according to the president. The start of the construction of the railway has regularly been announced for 2024.
China may be reconsidering
The Kyrgyz financing issues may not be the only obstacle to the CKU line. Last year, Zhaparov commented that China may be reconsidering the project. While he stated that Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan need the project, China is dissuading them from it. Zhaparov attributed the change in China’s attitude to changing geopolitics and alliances.
Also read:
- Kyrgyzstan Railways deny CKU line being indefinitely postponed
- New route for CKU corridor promises efficiency despite being longer
- Preliminary route for China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan line on the table
