Both leaders had also discussed energy cooperation when they met last September on the sidelines of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Uzbekistan.
China has been buying more Turkmen gas. For the first 11 months of 2022, China’s imports of Turkmen gas were valued at US$9.3 billion, up from US$6.79 billion in the whole of 2021, according to Chinese customs data.
Turkmen gas is pumped to as far as China’s eastern coast via three trunklines spanning 1,833 kilometres and passing through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Both countries are pushing ahead with a planned fourth pipeline – the 1,000-km D line which also links Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan – which will eventually lift the annual supply capacity from Central Asia to 85 billion cubic metres (bcm) a year from the current 55 bcm, Chinese state media have reported.
Rystad’s Xiong forecast that Turkmenistan’s gas flows to China would grow to nearly 70 bcm by 2030, up from over 30 bcm in 2021, after the D line commences operations.
At Friday’s meeting both leaders agreed to elevate bilateral ties to a “comprehensive strategic partnership”.
This would place Turkmenistan in the same diplomatic category as about 30 other countries, including Saudi Arabia, Australia, and Venezuela.
Source: CNA
