Chinese President Xi Jinping, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev congratulated the signing of an intergovernmental agreement on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project via video link on Thursday.

Xi said the railway is a strategic project for the connectivity of China and Central Asia and a landmark construction for Belt and Road cooperation among the three countries.

The signing of the intergovernmental agreement provides a solid legal base for the construction of the project, marking the railway's turn from a vision to reality, he said.

China is ready to work with Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to get prepared for initializing the construction and complete the building of the strategic route that benefits the three countries and their peoples as soon as possible, Xi said.

Japarov said the railway will be a new transport line linking Asia to Europe as well as Persian Gulf countries, adding that it is significant for the connectivity and the strengthening of economic and trade exchanges between countries along the route and even the whole region.

Mirziyoyev noted that the railway will become the shortest land route linking China and Central Asian countries. It will also open up big markets in South Asia and Middle East, benefiting cooperation among regional countries and China, he added.

The railway will begin in Kashgar, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and enter the territory of Uzbekistan through Kyrgyzstan. In the future, it can extend to West Asia and South Asia.