If you look at the world map, in particular at the European part of Russia, and then smoothly translate look at China, it will very quickly become clear that the shortest path lies through a friendly Kazakhstan. Moreover, if you ask the navigator to plot a route from Moscow to some Xi'an, then the electronic adviser will also lead through Kazakhstan. Question: why did Russia decide to build a new high-speed highway not through this friendly country?
The new high-speed route from Russia to China will bypass Kazakhstan through Mongolia. It would seem, why not pave the way for the shortest distance? After all, this is simply more profitable both from the point of view of construction and from the point of view of future trips. The road is being built primarily for the transit of Chinese goods to Europe, and therefore every penny is important. In fact, the answer to the question consists of several reasons.
First: the road is not only for transit
The new transit route will be based on the M12 highway, which is currently under construction. It stretches along the route: Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod - Kazan. Further, the route will be stretched along the route Yekaterinburg - Omsk - Novorossiysk, and only then the road will go sharply to the southeast to Mongolia, and through Mongolia to China. And all because it is being built not only for transit, but also for connecting their own large cities.
Second: the geography and logistics of China
The west and southwest of China is a rather complicated region. Mostly there are mountains, and therefore there are “some problems” with the roads. There are major highways there, but, in fact, there are two of them: one is far to the south. The second is closer to Kazakhstan. The use of these roads is not very convenient in terms of transit. Moreover, to travel along the southernmost route, you will have to pass not only through Kazakhstan, but also through other republics of Central Asia. For example, through Tajikistan and (or) Kyrgyzstan.
Third: "and the shag separately"
Not the last role in all this is played by banal business. The more transit countries on the route, the more costs the supplier has to bear. Each country puts forward its own conditions. The partnership in the field of transit is being built for many years and even decades. Therefore, there is a non-zero probability that they simply agreed with Mongolia on much more favorable terms than with Kazakhstan. Moreover, the "country of nomads" is no less old and no less proven partner than Kazakhstan.
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Fourth: there is no friendship
In the politics of friendship, it doesn't work that way. General human categories are not applicable to the relations of states. Politicians think exclusively pragmatically and even cynically. Issues of benefit and security are always brought to the fore. Kazakhstan has been and remains an old partner of Russia, but relations between all former Soviet republics (for with the exception of those that have already entered the EU and NATO) have become quite aggravated against the backdrop of the ongoing economic crisis. No one knows how the situation may turn tomorrow. Moreover, Russia's foreign policy has a very recent and extremely negative example for its state.
Fifth: troubled region
After the well-known events in Afghanistan, the level of anxiety in Central Asia has increased significantly. Including in Kazakhstan, which does not border on Afghanistan, but still is not so far from it. Moreover, the North Asian country borders on Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, whose leaders are forced to wipe their cold sweat with a skullcap due to the events in the southernmost country. So far, nothing serious has happened. However, the vast majority of politicians have no illusions about the new Afghan government. Given the extremely disastrous economic situation of the Asian country, there is every reason to believe that it will become a new hotbed of instability in the region. This means that the creation of a new transit route through Central Asia is not the best idea.
If you want to know even more interesting things, then you should read about How to live in the narrowest city in the worldhidden in the depths of Tibet.
A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/191121/61319/