According to the news of "South China Morning Mail" on December 1, 2023, the "Tangritag Victory Tunnel" of the expressway, which has just begun to be dug, will reduce the travel time between Urumqi and Korla from 7 hours to 3 hours, and will play a critical role in the transportation of Uyghur-Eli. The report claims that the expressway will create a new transportation route between Uyghur and Central Asian countries, and will make Uyghur more important in international trade. However, some experts who closely monitor the situation in China, the Uyghur region and Central Asia see the road construction and tunnels as a huge infrastructure project that serves to consolidate China's control over the Uyghur region.
The "South China Morning Post" newspaper said: "Tangritag Victory Tunnel is the world's longest highway tunnel, with a total length of 22 kilometers. This road will cross the world's longest mountain range and will be completed in 2025. The traffic that connects the south and north of Xinjiang is over. This highway will connect the Uyghur region with neighboring countries and Central Asian countries, as well as strengthen transportation links. Currently, despite the economic and trade sanctions of Western countries, the volume of foreign trade between China and Uighurs is increasing at a record level. One of the important reasons for this is that the Uyghur region borders 8 countries. »
However, American political analyst Dr. Anders Corr has a different view on this matter, saying that the "Tangritgi Victory Tunnel" and "Urumqi-Lopnur Expressway" are more about the transportation and trade role of these road constructions than the consolidation of the Chinese government's control over Xinjiang. It is a huge infrastructure project to work for.
He said: "Tangritag Victory Tunnel" is a big project. It is one of the big infrastructure projects that the Chinese government wants. It will certainly speed up Xinjiang's foreign exports and increase its communication with Xinjiang's internal provinces. This is a way for the Chinese Communist Party to rule Xinjiang and strengthen its total control over Xinjiang. Through this route, China can get more products from Xinjiang and export more products from Xinjiang to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. It's all very important. More importantly, it is a major infrastructure project. A massive infrastructure project that serves to consolidate the Chinese Communist government's control over Xinjiang. »
Professor Sherifjan Nadirov, a geo-economics expert based in Kazakhstan, gave an interview to our radio and said that "Tangritag Victory Tunnel" and "Urumchi-Lopnur Expressway" are not beneficial for the Uyghur and Central Asian peoples. He noted that he is trying to strengthen his influence and achieve his goal of mastering Central Asia and the world.
The report also said: "Xinjiang has now become a geopolitical issue between China and Western countries. Because the United States and the European Union have accused China of violating human rights, espionage, and supporting Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, China has imposed sanctions and export controls on products manufactured in Xinjiang. But in the first 10 months of this year, the region's foreign trade reached 287 billion yuan ($40.5 billion), a record high. »
Abdulaziz Bastograq, director of Tadbir Foreign Trade Consulting Education Services and Tourism Limited Liability Company in Istanbul, commented on the reasons why China is currently carrying out such projects as "Tangritag Victory Tunnel" and "Urumchi-Lopnur Expressway" with great effort. He said that the reason for this is that China severely suppresses Uyghurs and makes Uyghurs into forced labor; Uyghur explained that the products manufactured in Elida were banned by the United States and some European countries, as well as the smoothness of China's sea trade route.
Dr. Anders Kor specifically mentioned that China is very worried about US and European trade freezes and sanctions. He said that China is trying to open roads and channels to open export routes to Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and Africa. He said, "Tangritagh Victory Tunnel" and "Urumchi-Lopnur Expressway" are one such road constructions.
"Another important issue is that China is now beginning to retreat," he said. That is, China has withdrawn from some of its international trade with the West, and is now focusing on trade with developing countries. I think China is creating opportunities to trade with other developing countries. Because they are afraid that if there is a war with Taiwan, the United States and Europe will stop trade and impose sanctions because of the war with Taiwan. So they are trying to build new routes to open export routes to other countries. That is, they are trying to create new ways to export products to Central Asia, Southeast Asia and Africa. "Tengritag Victory Tunnel" is exactly their strategy. This project has been several years in the making. In my opinion, there are several factors that led to this project. »
According to a 2022 report by the Loewy Think Tank, the Chinese government will seek to consolidate its sphere of influence and control by investing heavily in infrastructure and road construction. The report described it as "colonialism with Chinese characteristics".