Kyrgyzstan signs Sary-Tash logistics center deal near China border

September 11, 2026 at 05:17 PM2 min

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Kyrgyzstan's National Investment Agency and Textile Trans signed a memorandum on September 10 to establish the Sary-Tash international transport and logistics center near the Chinese border. The project aims to attract up to $100 million in investment and includes a textile manufacturing cluster. The center is intended to handle cargo along the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan-Afghanistan route with possible onward access to Pakistan.

Key Facts

The memorandum was signed on September 10 by Kyrgyzstan's National Investment Agency and local company Textile Trans.
The project aims to attract up to $100 million in investment.
Sary-Tash is located in the Alay Valley in southern Osh Region, about 70 kilometers from the Irkeshtam border crossing with China.
The center is intended to handle cargo along the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan-Afghanistan route with possible onward access to Pakistan.
The Osh-Sary-Tash-Irkeshtam corridor is included in Kyrgyzstan's draft Logistics Framework Map for 2026–2030.

Project Details

The Sary-Tash international transport and logistics center will include warehouse and transshipment facilities, customs services, and a digital cargo monitoring system. The project also includes plans for a textile manufacturing cluster. Sary-Tash sits on the Osh-Sary-Tash-Irkeshtam road and at a junction with routes toward Tajikistan. The announced $100 million is not secured financing; the memorandum states the project aims to attract investment of up to that amount. No construction timetable or opening date has been announced.

Regional Trade Context

The Sary-Tash project comes as Bishkek seeks shorter trade routes to South Asia. On September 2, during Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's visit, Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan signed a Transit Trade Agreement. The agreement is intended to make trade and transit between the two countries easier. Kyrgyzstan has identified the Pakistani ports of Karachi, Port Qasim, and Gwadar as possible gateways to international markets. During talks with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Sharif said the two sides wanted to raise annual bilateral trade from about $16 million to $200 million within two years.

Route Alternatives

Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan do not share a border; one possible route runs through Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, while another passes through China. Bishkek tested the China route in April 2026 with a truck traveling about 3,300 kilometers from Bishkek through the Torugart crossing into China, then via Kashgar and the Karakoram Highway before crossing the Khunjerab Pass into Pakistan and reaching Karachi. That route bypasses Afghanistan and gives Kyrgyzstan direct road access to Pakistan's seaports. Sary-Tash lies on a different road toward China, near Irkeshtam. The planned logistics center would allow goods to be stored and transferred there before continuing along regional transport routes.