By the end of 2012, most of the pieces could be in place for an agreement on building a railway linking China to southern Central Asia along the historic Silk Road. Plans for such a railway have been discussed for decades as China looks for ways to access Central Asian markets as well as the more lucrative markets of the Middle East and Europe. If the many obstacles to the plan can be overcome, the economic — and possibly political — dynamics in Central Asia would be profoundly changed. Discussions centering on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan rail line have accelerated in recent months, with Kyrgyzstan's new government meeting with Chinese officials on the topic just days after taking office in September. Uzbekistan has also given its support for the project, according to statements made by Uzbek Deputy Minister of Foreign Economic Relations, Investments and Trade Bakhtiar Abdusamatov on Nov. 13.