China: A Strategic Pipeline to Central Asia

Chinese President Hu Jintao’s Dec. 12-14 trip to Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan culminated with the inauguration of the Central Asia Natural Gas Pipeline, which will ship natural gas from Turkmenistan to China. To meet its growing energy needs, China must seek foreign sources of energy that it can access by land. The pipeline to Central Asia does just this, albeit at the possible price of eventual Russian ire. Still, STRATFOR sources say China is unlikely to reach its loftiest goals of having natural gas provide 10 percent of the country’s energy by 2020.