Weekly News Roundup: Dispatches from the Silk Road Economic Belt

Pakistan, Russia, China have no plan for Afghan peace negotiations: Kabulov
Although Russia, China, and Pakistan recently held a session to assess the situation in Afghanistan, but a senior Russian diplomat says, the three countries have no program for meditation in Afghan peace negotiations. Zamir Kabulov, the special envoy of Russia in Afghanistan has said that Moscow, Beijing, and Islamabad have no plan for peace negotiations, because they have received no request in that regard. According the Russian special envoy, the three countries that participated in Moscow session believe there is a need for a more comprehensive regional formation in Afghanistan in cooperation with the country to set up new objectives. One of the matters agreed upon in tripartite session was carrying efforts for removal the names of Taliban’s leaders from the UN black list. (The Nation)

China’s New Silk Road Is Getting Muddy

The 'One Road, One Belt' initiative looks good on paper, but could become a costly mess on the ground. (Foreign Policy)

In Afghanistan, Putin courts China in search of 'antoher Syria'
Islamic State’s growing presence in the country gives Russia a pretext for a partnership with China and Pakistan that could counter the influence of the US (SCMP)

China launches first freight train to London
China on Sunday launched its first freight train to London, the China Railway Corporation said.
Departing from Yiwu West Railway Station in eastern Zhejiang Province, the train will travel for about 18 days and more than 12,000 kilometers before reaching its destination in Britain. Yiwu is known for producing small commodities, and the train mainly carried such goods, including household items, garments, cloth, bags and suitcases. It will pass through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, Belgium and France before arriving in London. (Shanghai Daily)

Show of force in Xinjiang sends hardline message
About 3,000 armed personnel in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region went on patrol in Urumqi after attending an anti-terrorism oath-taking rally over the weekend, in an effort to fight terrorism and tighten security in the region, the Xinjiang Daily reported on Sunday.
Two thousand armed police and 1,000 SWAT officers were assigned to the regional capital Urumqi's main roads and areas after completing an anti-terrorism drill at the rally on Saturday.
The last anti-terrorism oath-taking rally was held in May 2014 in Urumqi, China News Service reported.  (Global Times)

Xinjiang aims for 100,000 new textile jobs in 2017

Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, a major cotton production base in northwest China, is aiming to create more than 100,000 new textile jobs in 2017, through intensive processing projects such as garment manufacturing. Investment in the industry in the past three years exceeded 90 billion yuan, equivalent to the total from 1978 to 2013. Xinjiang produces about 60 percent of China's raw cotton.(Xinhua)

Xinjiang to tighten border's security

The Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region will continue to tighten security in border areas to prevent terrorists from entering or leaving the region illegally in 2017, the chairman of the region said. The region already stepped up efforts in entry-exit management in 2016, said Shohrat Zakir, the Xinjiang chairman, while delivering his work report at the annual session of the regional People's Congress in Urumqi, the capital, on 9 January. Many terrorists who carried out attacks in the region in recent years received training abroad and then returned illegally. Some also crossed the border illegally to flee, said Aniwar Turson, a top Party official of southern Xinjiang's Kashgar prefecture. (ChinaDaily)

Uighurs in Kyrgyzstan hope for peace despite violence

Despite recent politically driven violence, community say Kyrgyzstan is their home now and they want to move on. Many in Kyrgyzstan's Uighur community have become increasingly distrustful of the state. One 41-year-old Uighur trader in Bishkek, who wanted to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, claims security services in Kyrgyzstan have been watchful of the Uighur community for more than two decades. "Growing up in the 1980s and later in the 1990s, I witnessed Kyrgyz state security service agents come to speak with my father who was a Uighur community activist back in those days," he says.
Al Jazeera)

CENTRAL ASIA 

Crackdowns, Downturns, And A Transfer Of Power: A Look Back At A Fascinating Year In Central Asia

This past year in Central Asia proved every bit as interesting as it was predicted to be. The economic downturn took various tolls across the five countries; one of the region's longtime leaders died; the echoes of war in neighboring Afghanistan were increasingly heard on the Central Asian side of the border; and detentions and arrests on charges connected to terrorism increased in Central Asia. It was also a year when most of the region's governments intensified crackdowns on political opponents, rights activists, and independent journalists, while presidents honed their cults of leadership and personality. (Radio Liberty)

Dushanbe Probing Claim Taliban Tanks Being Repaired In Tajikistan
Tajik authorities are looking into claims by an Afghan official that Taliban tanks and other heavy weapons are being repaired by Russian engineers in Tajikistan.Muhammadjon Ulughkhojaev, a spokesman for Tajikistan’s border guard agency, said on January 2 that the allegations are "baseless."
But he added he is unaware of all details of the allegations. Ulughkhojaev said the border guard agency “has been looking into the claim,” will study the Afghan media reports, and will report on the results of their investigation.(Radio Liberty)