China plans rail links with Pak, Central Asia for Silk Route

China is negotiating with Pakistan, Mongolia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan to build three connective railroads to revive the ancient Silk Route and improve regional trade on the economic belt, a pet project of President Xi Jinping. Huang Shengqiang, head of the China Port Management Office, said Beijing has already opened 25 international airports and land ports as well as 12 special trade areas along the economic belt within the country. It will continue to build regional freight stations and create more trading platforms with Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and Nepal, Huang was quoted by the state-run China Daily as saying. China is planning to build a maze of silk roads, including the Maritime Silk Road (MSR), the pet project of President Xi, for which India has already been invited to take part.