Home » Between Moscow and Beijing friendship with limits and ambiguities. China remains cautious both on sanctions and on the purchase of Russian gas

Between Moscow and Beijing friendship with limits and ambiguities. China remains cautious both on sanctions and on the purchase of Russian gas

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Between Moscow and Beijing friendship with limits and ambiguities.  China remains cautious both on sanctions and on the purchase of Russian gas

It’s easy to say “boundless friendship“. From the beginning of the war on Ukraine the Chinese has maintained a decidedly ambiguous behavior towards Mosca: never has condemned the Russian invasion, but did not even provide military support to Vladimir Putin. He persists in defending “the sovereignty of all Villages” without specifying which, but has several times disapproved publicly the nuclear threats of Mosca. This acclaimed neutrality has been repeatedly contested by experts in the light of an apparently unequivocal fact: the increase of economic exchanges between the two countries. There Chinese is taking advantage of the crisis to buy hydrocarbons Russians a bargain pricesit has been said and written on several occasions.

A study of the Swedish Institute of International Affairs it also undermines this illusory certainty. According to the report – consulted exclusively by South China Morning Post – imports of Russian gas and oil on the part of the People’s Republic have actually grown only slightly since the beginning of guerra. During 2022, the portion relating to the purchase of gas e petrolium russo on the total of imports of the Asian giant has only increased from 14 to 16%, reaching just 16.9% in the first four months of 2023. Ergo, if the Republic popular has become the top buyer of Russian energy resources rather due to the disengagement of Western customers, notes the Russia-based organization Stockholm.

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It also appears that the compagnie Chinese have made no further investments o transactions In the Russian energy sector after the outbreak of the conflict. Nor were any new ones signed contracts long term to purchase hydrocarbons or for the creation of others conducted. In particular, Chinese press releases still seem to ignore the obsessive interest of Mosca for the project Power of Siberia 2: a pipeline currently still under study which – which passing through the Mongolia – is expected to significantly increase supplies of Russian gas a Beijing.

To date the Republic popular mainly draws on the deposits of Tree through the project Power of Siberiawhich came into operation in 2019. The new pipelines should instead start from the Russian peninsula of Yamalwhere most of the Russian gas depositsincluding those from which – until 24 February 2022 – theEuropa received his supplies. That’s why the Russia he insists so much. In March, welcoming a Mosca the Chinese president Xi Jinping, Putin had declared that “practically all the parameters[del progetto]… have been finalised”. From Beijing but still no confirmation. A sign that perhaps the Chinese – intending to achieve the carbon neutrality by 2060 – in the long run it doesn’t have that much need for Siberian gas. To build new ones infrastructure serve years, while the gas it serves immediately to ease the transition from coal.

Lo Swedish study also attests as none Chinese tanker state-owned transported Russian oil abroad. An eventuality that would lead to the cancellation of a large part of the discount of which the Chinese benefits for imports from Federation. Quite the gigante Asian continued to buy Russian oil at a price higher than the ceiling imposed by the G7 in December, albeit only through third parties or private companies. The reason for the caution is easily understood: according to the report, Beijing tried to balance “the need to support its most important strategic partner in challenging the Western-led world order” and that of “looking after one’s own interests and protecting economic relations with the Western trading partners”.

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Despite the repeated condemnation of unilateral sanctions – those imposed by United States e Ue but not approved on site Him – the Chinese it is actually taking great care not to violate them. Especially now that Bruxelles has retaliatory measures in the pipeline to also punish Chinese companies caught in circumventing the measures Europeans on behalf of Mosca.

There is another factor which greatly reduces the “friendship without limits” between Putin e XiAccording to the study authors, Beijing he would be trying to diversify his energy sources also to avoid excessive dependence on Russia. This is confirmed not only by the consolidation of exchanges with theSaudi Arabia, remained the top seller of oil in April. Only a few days ago the Chinese president himself relaunched the negotiations for the implementation of the Central Asia–China Gas Pipeline D: the conduct with which Beijing aims to increase supplies from Turkmenistan. And it’s a bit of a joke that China’s energy security strategy runs right through China’s backyard Mosca.

(pictured: the Power of Siberia gas pipeline)

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