Kyrgyzstan’s $4.7 Billion Central Asian Railway Faces Major Funding Setback

During recent visits to the United States and Germany, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov encouraged investors to participate in the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railway project -- a crucial component of Xi Jinping's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative. Kyrgyzstan's treasury is not bursting with money and Bishkek is in great need of cash to build its part of the monumental railway project -- expected to cost a few billion dollars -- that could bring big profits to its coffers. But despite assurances given by Kyrgyz authorities on the imminent start…