A new link to Afghanistan via Uzbekistan offers a practical example of this long-term diversification push. However, observers caution that security concerns and capacity constraints could make a meaningful shift away from sea freight difficult.

Officially launched in May with pilot shipments, the multi-modal freight corridor allows containers to be moved by rail from China through Kazakhstan into Uzbekistan, and then by road via Turkmenistan to Herat in western Afghanistan.

According to media reports in Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, the 7,400km (4,600-mile) route cuts delivery times by up to two-thirds – taking 30 days instead of two to three months via traditional sea-and-land routes through Iran or Pakistan.

China and Afghanistan share a border only at the Wakhan corridor, a narrow, high-altitude strip.

The rugged terrain, a lack of paved infrastructure and security concerns in China’s western Xinjiang region severely limit direct trade via the corridor. As a result, Beijing relies on safer, established routes.