The Erkeshtam Border Crossing controls the main trade routes between the Tarim Basin to the east, and the Alay and Ferghana Valleys to the west and north. On the Kyrgyz side of the border, the A372 road goes west over a pass into the Alay Valley. At Sary-Tash, the A372 meets the M41 highway, which leads north through the Taldyk Pass (elevation to Osh and the Ferghana Valley. On the Chinese side of the border, the G3013 Kashgar-Irkeshtam Expressway runs east to Kashgar and the Tarim Basin via Ulugqat.