Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao made a hearty push on Wednesday for increased connectivity and cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (sco), including the construction of a railway joining China, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Wen made the remarks at the 11th prime ministers’ meeting of the sco, which groups China and Russia with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Beijing, Wen said, is prepared to give $10 billion for key projects including a land route spanning all the way from St. Petersburg, Russia to Lianyungang on China’s East coast. Another planned project is a road network that will link all sco nations, allowing them to share outlets to the sea in a low-cost and convenient manner.

Connectivity of this type will represent a major milestone for the development of Central Asian countries, most of which are landlocked. The development of such infrastructure and connectivity between these six Asian giants is particularly important in light of the sure word of Bible prophecy regarding modern-day Asia. The prophecy of “the kings of the east” found in Daniel 11:44, Revelation 9:13-16 and elsewhere says an enormous Asian power bloc will ultimately amass a staggering 200-million-man army.

At the time of the end, this army—larger than any ever assembled in mankind’s history—will gather and travel westward into modern-day Israel (e.g. Revelation 16:12, 16; Daniel 11:44). The Trumpet has said for years that these kings would be led by Russia and China. The railways and roadways that Wen and other sco leaders are laboring to build could be instrumental in transporting these great hoards of soldiers into the Holy Land.

Expect China and Russia to continue boosting their cooperation and connectivity, and to keep using the sco as a vehicle by which to accomplish it. To understand more, read Russia and China in Prophecy.