Китай - Южный Кавказ: Сотрудничество в транспортно-логистических узлах «Пояса и пути»

South Caucasus - Transport and Logistics Hub in the B&R Strategy

SC countries are gradually emerging as an important transport and logistics hub in the B&R strategy. Azerbaijan and Georgia are actively lobbying in China for one of the three EBSR corridors5 the project of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) or Middle Corridor (MC) / Iron Silk Road (ISR) [Тасиц 2019, C. 82]. TITR was developed at the end of 2012 within the framework of TRACECA (Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia).6 The fundamental difference between the TRACECA and Chinese CCWAEC projects is actually that TRACECA, initiated by the EU (the "West"), aims to restore the ancient Great Silk Road and connect the economies of these countries to the EU. Meanwhile, the CCWAEC ("the East") plans to establish trade and economic relations between the involved countries [Ismailov, Papava 2018, P. 10]. CCWAEC runs through China, Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, further to Turkey and then through the territory of Ukraine to Europe, connecting all countries along the East-West line [Тасиц 2019, C. 82]. TITR provides Beijing with `access` to the Black Sea coast of Georgia with subsequent shipment of cargo to the ports of Romania, Ukraine (Odessa) and Bulgaria (Varna, Burgas) [Harutyunyan 2020, P. 80].

The MC can be viewed in terms of the institutionalization of the three regions involved: the PRC, the EU and the post-Soviet economies, plus Turkey [Kenderdine, Bucsky 2021, P. 1; Арутюнян 2022, C. 110]. In practice, the construction of the Middle Corridor and investments in alternative routes aim to free the EU and China from Russian "transit dependence" and continue the road to Turkey [Harutyunyan 2020, P. 80]. This is evidenced by Brussels' establishment of good political relations along the Middle Corridor with countries that are rich in hydrocarbon resources or are transit points for such resources.7

In 2014, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and China established the Coordinating Committee of TITR (CCTITR) to develop 4,766 km long multimodal route [Forbes.com 2017], and in 2015 they agreed to create a consortium to transport goods from China to Europe [Grey 2015; Корреспондент 2015]. Later it included JS Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railways) and LLC Ukrferry, Translogistic (Moldova) and PKP LHS (Poland). The Hungarian Rail Cargo Hungaria Zrt joined the project, which will allow to use the capabilities of Zahony, Epereske stations and BILK terminal. Ukraine and Lithuania signed a memorandum on the merger of the "Viking" container train with TITR. Thus, the EU, which has a FTZ with Ukraine, could supply goods to China and CA, bypassing Russia and is set to become competitive with the traditional overland route [Forbes.com 2017]. So, the TITR parties want to launch the transportation of goods to Northern and Eastern Europe via Ukraine [Regnum, 2015; Real Russia Today, 2015; CTS 2015] and the Baltic States [Think Railways 2015]. So, goods from CA and Kazakhstan will be delivered to Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Baltic States, Poland and EU countries by container train named "Friendship" [Dyussembekova Zh. 2016].

By 2020, TITR was expected to increase trade turnover from US$ 646 to 922 billion [Казинформ 2016] with an annual capacity of 27.5 million tons of containerized cargo and up to 300,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent) [Eurasian Business Briefing 2016]. Since July 2016, preferential tariffs have been introduced on the route for participating countries, enabling the cost of shipping containers to be closer to the Russian route, at approximately US$ 5,500 per container, although it is almost US$ 2000 cheaper than in 2015, and 3 times faster than by sea. TITR remains slower and more expensive than Russia, partly due to the lack of infrastructure and common market in this direction from the SU, low trade flows, border customs bureaucracy and corruption problems typical of the region [Forbes.com 2017]. The lack of infrastructure for easy transit in the Caspian Sea from CA ports to Azerbaijan, as well as deep-water ports in the Georgian sector, also causes problems [Standish 2022]. Therefore, based on the dependence of the success of China-Europe-China transcontinental container cargo transportation on cooperation with Russian and Belarusian railway companies, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy has created a United Transport Logistics Company - Eurasian Railway Alliance (UTLC ERA), to coordinate all related work [Altynsarina 2018]. It should be noted that Russian trains that deliver goods directly to Europe by rail or port or enter through Belarus have become the main land trade route between China and the EU, accounting for 68% of westbound traffic and 82% eastbound traffic in 2021 [Standish 2022].