Uzbekistan and Pakistan to Expand Transit Route via China

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan and Pakistan have reached an agreement in principle to include a transport route through China in their bilateral transit trade framework.

According to publication Pakistan Today, citing sources, the relevant amendments are scheduled to be formalized during an upcoming visit by Uzbekistan's deputy prime minister to Pakistan.

The parties intend to sign a protocol amending and supplementing the Transit Trade Agreement between the two countries.

The document provides for the official inclusion of the Chinese route in the list of authorized transport corridors. Under the new arrangement, cargo will travel through the Sost dry port, across western China, and into Central Asian nations.

A source told Pakistan Today that expanding the list of routes aims to ensure uninterrupted freight transport between the two countries amid changing regional security conditions.

Once the changes take effect, Pakistan will be able to use the Chinese route to deliver goods to Central Asian countries, including Uzbekistan. In turn, Uzbekistan will maintain access to Pakistan's seaports.

Until recently, the route through Afghanistan was considered the shortest and most economically viable option, and it served as the basis for the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway project.

However, following a deterioration in relations between Islamabad and Kabul and the closure of the Torkham and Chaman border crossings in October 2025, that transport corridor effectively ceased functioning.

As an alternative, Pakistan developed routes through Iran and China. According to Pakistan Today, complications along the Iranian route also reduced its appeal, increasing the importance of the Chinese route for regional commerce.

Despite its longer distance and potentially higher transport costs, the route through China is viewed as a strategic alternative that allows the countries to diversify transit shipments and reduce reliance on a single route.

Bilateral trade between Pakistan and Uzbekistan reached US$445.9 million in 2025, according to Pakistan Today.

Pakistan's exports totaled US$120.9 million, while imports from Uzbekistan reached US$325 million. Pakistan is Uzbekistan's second-largest trading partner in South Asia.