The Impact of Energy on Turkmenistan - China Relations

An increase of energy consumption in China since last two decades and the same continuous perspective for future has made the issue of fossil fuel provision a vital and significant factor for the country. An access to safe energy resources is an important element for guaranteeing the revitalization trend as China’s strategic choice. Therefore one of the prominent foreign diplomacy trends for China is to have an access to convenient energy resources and to diversify its import hubs as well as to extend its relations with countries that are rich in hydro carbonic resources, especially in Caspian region. Furthermore considering its rich gas resources, Turkmenistan’s strategic plan is to become a strategic actor in energy area. During the presidency of Bardi Mohammadov, de-isolation was one of the foreign policy priorities as well as attracting foreign investment and access to diversified foreign markets through development of gas transportation routes.
The present article attempts to assess the impact of energy on foreign policy and bilateral relations. The hypothesis of the literature is that energy has paved the way for Turkmenistan – China relations and Central Asia – China gas pipeline has been the startup of the mentioned cooperation. This article is written using explanatory – analytical description and the theory of economic interdependency.