Since the beginning of the Russian-Ukraine conflict, the countries in Central Asia (CA) became acutely aware of the severe limitations related to their transportation routes. With heavy dependence on Moscow, CA countries decided to engage in diversification of their import- export channels. For Bishkek and Tashkent such attempts resulted in the renewed interest in advancing the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railway project.

After a bumpy year, 2023 could prove to be even more challenging for global goods trade with consumer demand faltering, oversupply returning, and the energy and subsequent inflation crisis persisting. But the supply chain pain is expected to ease and shipping a container will be cheaper