ThinkINChina offers a chance to debate the future of this great country with senior Chinese academics and professionals in a rare intimate context.
Wednesday, September 21st, 2016 WANG Tao, 王韬 (Assistant Director, Yicai Research Institute; Nonresident Scholar, Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy) will talk about The future of Sino-Russian energy ties.
ABSTRACT
China used to call Russia, or the former USSR, the “Old Brother”, but not anymore. The most recent self-claimed title of Russia is an “Elder Sister” of China, which tries to reflect a position that is weaker in power yet respectfully senior, nor is this accepted by China. Whatever comfortable term these two nations will eventually choose aligning their respective positions, it is undoubted in others eye that the “rapprochement” between Moscow and Beijing is one of the most notable trends in the global politics since 2014, and has the potential to significantly change the gravity of geopolitics in North and Northeast Asia.
The energy tie between China and Russia reflects their mutual demands of cooperation in political, security and economic dimensions. Therefore it cannot be viewed from only one of them. For both nations, the opaque decision making process in their governments, as well as in their powerful NOCs may not always ensure good communication and understanding, sometimes they may even be at odds in their own interests. So distrust will always find place between Beijing and Moscow. Uncertainty in the progress of China’s economic transition and SOE reform, and the energy technology development in the next few years may also lead to very different future scenarios that could either further strengthen or destruct the energy tie between China and Russia. But in the next years to come, the world should not be surprised if there were more energy deals signed between the two.
This event is organized in partnership with:
Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy – 清华-卡内基全球政策中心
Learn more here.
