This aerial photo taken on November 7, 2023 shows trucks entering the Irkeshtam port in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Picked fresh in Kyrgyz villages in the morning, cherries and melons can now travel hundreds of kilometres and reach markets in Kashgar, an oasis city in the southwestern corner of China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, by evening.
The journey is made possible by the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan highway, which winds through the rugged mountains of Central Asia, a project under the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Shipment will be expedited as the three countries are also seeing the construction of another major cross-border project – the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway – aimed at improving the well-being of people along the route.
The expanding connectivity across Central Asia offers a glimpse into a broader vision Xi has championed over the years: to pursue friendships and partnerships with China's neighbours and foster an amicable, secure and prosperous neighbourhood.
Xi will soon pay a state visit to Kyrgyzstan, China's neighbour to the west, and attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek, a major move of his neighbourhood diplomacy.
