Takshkent Port is located in Qinghe County, Altay Prefecture. It is 90 kilometers from the county seat of Qinghe, 380 kilometers from the city of Altay and 510 kilometers from Urumqi. It borders Hovd Aymag (Province) of Mongolia, about 265 kilometers from the provincial capital of Hovd. The port is 15.5 kilometers from Sino-Mongolian border, 65 kilometers from Burqin County and 25 kilometers from Mongolia's Bulgan Port.
The Takshkent Port is a historical passageway between China and Mongolia. In July 1989, the State Council ratified its opening as an international port. It can handle 50,000 tons of cargo and 30,000 passengers each year.
Takshkent is a seasonal port, open from the 20th through the 30th of each month from April to December. Now the international bus from Bulgan to Qinghe is running regularly, and the two governments are planning to turn the Takshkent-Bulgan route into a permanent transport line.
The port has a border checkpoint, and customs and inspection staff are sent from Altay Prefecture during operating periods. Now the port has 2,222 square meters of centralized office space, a 350-square-meter comprehensive inspection hall and other facilities.
Since its opening, a cumulative 340,000 passengers and 61,000 vehicles have passed through the port. In 2002, 38,000 people, 9,769 vehicles and 17,000 tons of cargo transited Takshkent Port.
(China.org.cn December 15, 2004)
