Uzbekistan and Pakistan to expand trade via China, bypassing Afghanistan
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Uzbekistan and Pakistan plan to sign a protocol soon to expand bilateral trade via routes through China, bypassing Afghanistan. The provisional agreement comes amid a deep freeze in Afghan-Pakistani relations that has disrupted trans-Afghan corridor plans. Tashkent and Islamabad aim to ensure uninterrupted goods movement despite regional security challenges.
The Trans-China Route
Uzbekistan and Pakistan reached a provisional agreement to boost trade via China, according to Pakistani media reports. An unnamed official told Pakistan's Profit outlet that a protocol will formalize expanded transit options and ensure uninterrupted goods movement. The agreement seeks to circumvent Afghanistan, where border closures have halted truck-borne trade.
Afghan Route Stalemate
Plans for a trans-Afghan trade corridor—the most efficient Central Asia–Pakistan link—remain stalled. Islamabad has closed main border crossings with Afghanistan amid frozen relations, halting transit trade. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said Tashkent was "actively working" with the Taliban on a rail route, but the impasse has pushed both Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan toward Chinese alternatives.
Regional Implications
Kyrgyzstan successfully tested an overland route to Pakistan via China earlier this year, and in July announced plans for a strategic partnership with Islamabad. The Uzbek-Chinese-Kyrgyz railway, now under construction, will eventually connect to Pakistani ports, but completion is years away. For now, truck-borne trade through China is the immediate focus for both Central Asian states.
What's Next
Pakistan and Uzbekistan are expected to sign the trade protocol in the coming weeks, though no date has been set. It remains unclear whether the trans-Afghan rail project will regain momentum if Afghan-Pakistani tensions ease.
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Uzbekistan and Pakistan to expand trade via China, bypassing Afghanistan
