Analysis | Can Central Asian gas exporters rely on China?
Apr 26, 2021 7:30:pm
Summary
China hopes to reduce energy imports and cut emissions, raising questions about the need for additional gas from Central Asia.
by: Rebeka Foley, Eurasianet
Analysis | Can Central Asian gas exporters rely on China?
Central Asia’s natural gas producers have only one eager buyer: China. And though China has a growing appetite, it has signaled intentions to source more energy domestically. What does this mean for Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan?
A little over a decade ago, China produced enough gas to meet its own demands. These days, it imports about 42 percent of its needs. Central Asia supplies about a third of China’s total gas imports and 15 percent of demand. The rest travels through pipelines from Myanmar (3 percent of total imports) and Russia (3 percent of imports and rising) – or by sea as liquified natural gas, which accounts for over two-thirds of imports. (China will soon be the world’s largest LNG importer.)