Central Asian Factors in Energy Relationship between China and Russia

Abstract

After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, central Asian countries that acquired independence received high attention from great powers inside and outside the region in terms of their important geostrategic position, abundant energy and resource reserves and diversified and heterogeneous cultural patterns. Cooperation relationship of energy is an important component in foreign relations of central Asian countries. Being the major two neighboring nations of central Asian countries, China and Russia attach great importance to commercial interests, national security and geopolitical concern of central Asian countries and depend on each other in terms of preventing other great powers from intervening in central Asian affairs and maintaining regional security and stability. Central Asian region is the indispensable geostrategic space in development of China and Russia in the future, and mutual competition and negative influences caused thereby are inevitable, but this has also created opportunities for the two nations to go further into more extensive and profound cooperation. As regional cooperation and security schema, establishment of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) reflects the common interests of China and Russia in maintaining security of the Eurasia, which, simultaneously, has become a positive platform to coordinate energy relationship of the two countries in the central Asian region and to strengthen their cooperation.