With the rapid advancement of China and Russia in the field of energy, as well as the finalization of various details of the "Siberian Force 2" natural gas pipeline connecting China, Russia and Mongolia, the northeast route of China's energy imports can be said to be basically stable. At the same time, the northwest route of China's energy imports also came out with good news.
Photo note: President Of Turkmenistan Berdymukhamedov
According to the official media of Turkmenistan, President Berdymuhamedov of that country recently received the Special Representative of the Chinese Side who came to visit. The two sides conducted in-depth exchanges on energy, transportation and other fields.
Although this message may seem short, it is not a lot of information. What many people don't know is that although Turkmenistan appears to be a country with a weak presence in the international community, it is an important part of China's energy import strategy.
Note: Energy pipeline between China and Turkmenistan
For the layout of China's energy imports, a more widely agreed statement is that there are four main directions, which are the most extensive sea routes; Northeast line connecting to Russia; The southwestern line connecting to Myanmar; and the Northwest Route, which connects to Central Asia. Specific to the actual project of the northwest line, we have to talk about the China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline. The pipeline originated in Turkmenistan, passing through Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and finally reaching Khorgos in Xinjiang.
In addition, Turkmenistan itself is one of the top five countries in the world in terms of natural gas reserves, and the largest customer for exporting natural gas is China. The country discovered 149 new gas fields last month, with total reserves of more than 490 million cubic meters. Therefore, Turkmenistan's meeting with Chinese representatives and talking about energy cooperation is likely to mean that the country will send more natural gas to China in the future.
Illustration: Schematic diagram of the direction of the China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline project
On the one hand, for Turkmenistan, China is definitely their best partner in the energy sector; On the other hand, for China, there is an urgent need to stabilize the energy supply.
In fact, although Turkmenistan's strategic location is very important, the country in the middle of Eurasia has quite harsh natural conditions. Far from the ocean, the country is arguably one of the driest regions in the world. The direct consequence of this situation is that the country's industrial and agricultural base is very poor, and the means of generating foreign exchange are basically only energy exports.
Note: Turkmenistan's geographical location is very bad
However, the problem arose, and Turkmenistan was caught between Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Either these countries simply do not have the capacity to purchase their energy or are themselves energy producers. They are all competitors to each other, so how can Turkmenistan get too much benefit from these countries? As a result, Turkmenistan, which is "surrounded" in the middle of the continent, has no previous ability to sell its abundant resources.
In this context, China's energy layout connecting Central Asia is undoubtedly a godsend for Turkmenistan, which not only has a large and stable market, but also can take charge of infrastructure construction that Turkmenistan cannot afford. More importantly, China's foreign policy has always been equal, mutually beneficial and win-win. This is clearly the most reassuring for these countries.
Note: Natural gas production facilities in Turkmenistan
For China, Turkmenistan's stable energy supply is also very important. It should be known that in the four import directions of China's energy layout, although the prospect of the northeast line connecting Russia is quite good, it also takes a certain amount of time, and both the southwest and the sea route are facing some risks. The problem with the former is that it is not going well, while the problem with the latter is that once the situation around China changes, then shipping will immediately be greatly affected.
In this context, the significance of the northwest route connecting many countries in Central Asia can be seen. With both China and Turkmenistan attaching great importance to this line, we can guess that future energy trading between China and Turkey is likely to go up another level. Not only that, Kazakhstan has also released news that it will increase energy exports to China. This also means that the energy supply of the Northwest Line is further expanded.
There is no doubt that these are extremely important for China, and in today's complex and changeable situation, China's four energy import channels in the northeast, northwest, southwest and sea are each of the top priorities. Energy security must be fully guaranteed. As long as this aspect can be stable and good, China also has the courage to face more challenges.