Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Central Asia has emerged as a critical hub in a reshaped Eurasian trade network. Countries from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan are diversifying transit routes to reduce dependence on Russia, giving new prominence to the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) – better known as the Middle Corridor.
This corridor links China to Europe via Central Asia and the South Caucasus, bypassing traditional northern routes through Russia. In late 2024, shipments of advanced automotive electronics and components increasingly departed from inland Chinese hubs such as Chongqing and Zhengzhou.
Rather than taking the traditional northern route across Russia, goods traveled south through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, crossed the Caspian Sea via Azerbaijan, and continued overland through Georgia to Europe.
