Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 25
Trend:
Beijing supports Kiev's proposal to create the Trans-Caspian transport route from China to Europe through Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, which would bypass Russia, in addition to existing transit routes, TASS news agency quoted Hua Chunying, Chinese foreign ministry's spokesperson, as saying.
Chunying made the statement during a press briefing Jan. 25.
"As for the proposal by the Ukrainian side and other countries about laying a new transport route, China too supports it," Chunying said.
She also stressed the importance of the existing rail freight routes from China to Europe for developing the Silk Road Economic Belt, on the basis of the Trans-Siberian Railway and the new Eurasian transcontinental bridge.
Ukraine previously said it started working through an export route that would bypass Russia.
Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Ukraine signed a protocol in Baku on Jan. 14 with regard to setting preferential tariffs for cargo transportation via the Trans-Caspian international transport route.
The parties plan to agree by mid-February on a common tariff policy.
Ukraine launched the first experimental train from Illichivsk on Jan. 15 to China, which was to run through Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.
According to Kiev's plans, the new route will run from the Izov station on Ukraine's border with Poland to the Dostyk station on the border of Kazakhstan and China, and will include ferry transportation across the Black and Caspian seas.