China marks major tunnel milestone for Central Asia railway bypassing Russia

Fresh off Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Kyrgyzstan, project officials have announced the successful drilling of a key tunnel along the long-stalled China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railway.

This marks the first milestone for the flagship project under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, offering China a critical trade corridor bypassing Russia.

The 210-metre (690-foot) tunnel was the first drilled through in the Kyrgyz section since full-scale work began in June 2025, China’s state...