not as big a deal since it isnt using standard gauge.
More consequential is the Vietnam rail, good to watch for that.
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and Global South strategic cooperation
- Thread starter Strangelove
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More consequential is the Vietnam rail, good to watch for that.
never thought China would agree to build a brand-new CKU railway system not based on standard gauge.
the need to switch track once the trains leave China is counterintuitive to me.
Or perhaps initially the plan is to use existing railway tracks in K and U to save costs, but as the railway system gets developed further (assuming the existing railway tracks in K and U are aging and need to be modernised anyway) and business volume/revenue picks up, the tracks will eventually be switched to standard gauge??
the need to switch track once the trains leave China is counterintuitive to me.
Or perhaps initially the plan is to use existing railway tracks in K and U to save costs, but as the railway system gets developed further (assuming the existing railway tracks in K and U are aging and need to be modernised anyway) and business volume/revenue picks up, the tracks will eventually be switched to standard gauge??
Arent there trains capable of switching of gauges?
Turkish students to study nuclear energy in China under bilateral agreement
Turkey and China have signed a cooperation agreement on the “Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy,” enabling Turkish students to pursue master’s and doctoral degrees in nuclear energy at prestigious Chinese universities starting in the 2025–2026 academic year.
I actually once ran into a light bird from a certain AU nation in the wild who graduated from Sandhurst, and subsequently received formal military training in both the US and China.
To be frank, training foreign military officers is how a number of countries, namely the US and UK, recruit intelligence assets. Though it's usually publicly framed as some variety of alliance building.
Doubt the PLA is sending many, if any officers abroad for training in NATO countries these days, but IIRC, the first captain of the Liaoning attended the British equivalent of the war college or CGSC.
Actually more than half of the track is standard gauge including about half the track length in Kyrgyzstan according to this report of tender for Kyrgyz portion
从我国新疆喀什到吉国马克马尔段采用1435mm标准轨距，从马克马尔到贾拉拉巴德以及延伸到乌国境内的安集延段采用1520mm（宽轨）轨距。
The green stretch is standard gauge, the purple is broad. The switching station is Makmal (马克马尔).
I guess that is related to the ongoing negotiation of Sinop power plant.
Because the other two countries paid 49% of the money.
Railway in Kyrgyzstan is virtually non-existent.
According to the article
中吉乌铁路项目计划采用BOT模式（建设-运营-移交），由中国、吉尔吉斯斯坦和乌兹别克斯坦三国铁路公司联合成立项目公司实施。
项目总费用预计为80亿美元，其中47亿美元用于吉尔吉斯斯坦部分。根据协议条款，中国将在合资企业中占51%的股份，吉尔吉斯斯坦和乌兹别克斯坦各占24.5%。
China pays 51% which is comparable to the standard gauge portion. So if you want the other two to pay the bill, you have to accept their demand. New standard gauge rail is only good if the contiuned journey beyond is also upgraded to standard gauge, otherwise you will have to switch somewhere. Since the central asians have the legacy system from USSR which they can not afford to upgrade for a long time, it is better to utilize them. Otherwize if you ask the Central Asians to pay the upgrade, they may demand you to pay the bill for many decades.