The Role of Energy Security in the Case of Kazakhstan – People’s Republic of China Relations (original) (raw)

THE ROLE OF KAZAKHSTAN IN THE GLOBAL ENERGY SECURITY OF CHINA

Ekonomik ve Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi, 2021

This study aims to propose that how Kazakhstan plays a role in the context of China's energy security and in which situations the existing problems such as Kazakhstan's nationalization policy in the energy sector or the lack of mutual trust and rising interdependence in the direction of bilateral energy cooperation could be overcome and new opportunities could be provided. Although Kazakhstan has a very small import ratio in China's energy supply, the reason why it attracts multi-faceted investments from China will be highlighted. This study firstly tries to clarify how China's energy security problem has emerged, and in this direction, and what kind of approaches has been adopted in its foreign policy is probed. Later, these approaches are tested and evaluated in the case of Kazakhstan. It is concluded that on the one hand Kazakhstan is a reliable location in terms of energy security as there are less geopolitical risks when compared to high seas and narrow passages; and on the other hand, China is aware that it cannot benefit enough from the energy sources without first achieving economic stability in the country. In this regard, it is also revealed how non-energy investments in the context of Belt and Road Initiative have a direct relationship with the energy security policy of China.

THE ROLE OF KAZAKHSTAN IN THE ENERGY SECURITY OF CHINA

The International Journal of Economic and Social Research, 2021

China-Kazakhstan Energy Relations After the Cold War

2022

Energy has maintained its importance for humanity since the ancient periods of history to this day. This importance has increased with the increasingly dependence of industrial development on the use of energy. As a matter of fact, the value loaded into energy over time has also been discussed with different dimensions. At the point reached today, energy forms part of national security. It is also indisputable that it will maintain this position in the future, as it did yesterday and today. The issue of energy security is now being considered in the national security dimension for all parties that need or hold this resource. In this aspect, it is not only a security issue that concerns nations, but also the focus of attention of the international system. In this aspect, the aspect of energy security that spread internationally, research on the global level focuses on the pandemic' s impacts on the economical levels as well as on the environment, and energy. For this reason, the paper focus on the energy dimension and security in the relations between China and Kazakhstan. The energy views

Relationships Between Foreign Policy and Energy Security in Central Asia: A Case Study Of Kazakhstan

Journal of the Black Sea Studies, 2021

Kazakhstan is major energy producer in Central Asia, and has been pursuing a multi-vector foreign policy since it gained independence from Soviet Union. It has played host to many multinational energy from Russia, China, the USA and Europe. Nazarbayev's multilateral and multi-vector foreign and privatization policies have had a significant impact on the country's energy [security] policy over the last three decades. Emphasizing good relations between itself with both global and regional powers, Kazakhstan has maintained a balance among Russian, Western and Chinese companies via defensive realist approach. This balance is especially visible in both the role that those companies play in exploration projects, as well as in the building of oil and gas pipelines.

The Energy Security in Central Eurasia: the Geopolitical Implications to China's Energy Strategy

The competition among great powers over energy resources and pathways has gotten increasingly intense in recent years, not least in Central Eurasia (CEA). This article will explore the evolution of energy security that has taken place lately and the accompanying political, economic, and even military factors that improve or impede international energy cooperation in the Caspian and Central Eurasian region. It will also make an assessment of China's geopolitical understandings of energy security in CEA, its implications for China's energy strategy, and the future of Central Eurasian energy geopolitics.

China’s Energy Security Strategy and Its Geopolitical and Environmental Impact.pdf

China has in recent years risen to the top of the list of energy importing nations. Sometime in the past decade it overtook the United States as the world’s largest consumer of imported energy (IEA, 2014). The dramatic increase of China’s share in international energy markets has prompted the government in Beijing to prioritise relations with external suppliers. These include some of China’s closes neighbours as well as countries geographically remote from China. The country’s rapid economic growth and securing the means to fuel this growth have come to dominate Beijing’s thinking on foreign policy. China’s external relations increasingly prioritise making overseas investments in new sources of imported energy. As a result, its energy security and foreign relations have become inextricably intertwined. This special issue contains several scholarly works that explore the modalities of China’s energy security strategy and its impact on the country’s commercial relations with the rest of the world. Contributions assess the environmental implications of this strategy and discuss what it tells us about China as an international actor. The approach to energy security, geopolitics and the environment taken in this special issue is interdisciplinary. The articles presented here draw on approaches and methodologies from the disciplines of economics, management, political ecology, area studies and international relations to study China’s energy diplomacy and its international impact. Contributions cover a range of energy sources, from petroleum and natural gas to solar, hydropower and other renewables.

ENERGY POLITICS: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF KAZAKHSTAN

As being a young sovereign state, Kazakhstan had developed a close relationship with the U.S. ever since it gained independence from the Soviet Union. Kazakhstan consists huge deposits of oil and natural gas and bordering the Caspian Sea that attracts the interests of energy consuming countries of the world. The U.S is much interested in Kazakh's huge natural resources, therefore it promoted many U.S. companies to invest in Kazakh's energy sector. Due to the largest foreign investor in the development of Kazakh economy, the U.S tried to establish its hegemony in Kazakhstan as well as in the Caspian Sea by encouraging its economic assistance for the development of the region. On the other hand, Kazakhstan also needs the U.S assistance and investment due to its landlocked location and weak infrastructure. This article examines the role of oil and gas for determining Kazakh economic relations with the U.S. It discusses that Kazakhstan has been following the Multi-vector foreign policy due to geopolitical location and consisting huge natural resources. On the other hand, it will also evaluate the pipeline politics and Russian engagement in the region for oil and natural gas resources of Kazakhstan that hinders the flow of Kazakh-U.S relations.

China’s Energy Interest in Central Asia

Energy security, a relatively new term in international relations implies states securing adequate and reliable energy supplies at stable prices. Energy security means security of supply, sustainability of access to global energy resources and security of demand efficiency of energy consumption and environmental protection. Energy security has become an urgent global problem. Energy security and energy cooperation should become a major theme within the framework of multilateral dialogue and cooperation, such as the United Nations, G-8, and regional organizations. China is the world‟s most populous and fastest-developing country and its second largest oil importer. In 2005, China‟s GDP reached $2.3 trillion, up 9.9 percent. Rapid economic growth poses energy demand challenges. As a state develops economically, especially at the rate Chinahasits level of energy consumption rises as well. As long as China‟s population growth and economic boom continue at rapid pace, its energy consumption will continue to climb sharply as well. One of the five essential elements for the survival of people, energy functions as a core strategic material for national economies and social development. The security of energy supply is not only associated with the rapid growth of the economy in China but also with the overall security and strategic development of the nation.

China’s energy diplomacy towards Central Asia and the implications on its “belt and road initiative”

Pacific Review, 2019

China's oil investment in Central Asia from the late 1990s was not driven by energy needs or geopolitical ambitions, like many assumed. The real concern was the safety of its western boundary, while energy was used as an instrument to forge political ties with its neighbours. However, China has become one of the key geopolitical players in Central Asia after more than 20 years engagement, and many observers are keen to find out why has Beijing failed to escape the grand games while focusing on energy diplomacy? And, what is the implications of China's new status in Central Asia on its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)? This article attempts to answer the questions via reviewing China's energy diplomacy towards Central Asia, from the lens of geopolitics. Focusing on China's dealing with Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, as well as the Russian factor, the research has revealed the main reasons that led China into the grand games: the entangling of politics and China's energy engagements; the establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization; and the changes of the pipeline map. China's geopolitical gains have mainly made at the cost of Russia, though the latter chose to accept Beijing's greater presence in Central Asia against the changed circumstances. The launch of the BRI scheme has amplified China's geopolitical significance in Central Asia, but also triggered various criticisms, including the debt traps and governance-related issues. China's dealing with the Muslims in Xinjiang was also a point of disagreement. Beijing may need to revisit its pragmatic featured diplomacy, and to take a more liberal approach to accommodate different political perspectives. With greater power potential, Beijing should bear more responsibilities to ensure peace and stability in Central Asia, together with other powers, not only for the sake of BRI's success, but also for the interest of the mankind.

The Role of Energy Security in the Case of Kazakhstan – People’s Republic of China Relations (original) (raw)

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