Analysis of natural gas export and transit transport in Uzbekistan

Abstract

Central Asia is a key cooperation zone and a core connectivity area of the Belt and Road. Uzbekistan, located at the pivotal position in Central Asia, is a geopolitical pivot country and plays a critical role in the energy geopolitical pattern in the region. In this study, the position of Uzbekistan as an exporter and a transit country, as well as its geographical influence on China, was introduced from the aspects of cross-border gas pipelines, gas export and transportation and energy strategy, and from the perspective of its energy corridor power, recommendations were put forward to strengthen China's emergency response capabilities of energy-importing corridor and energy supply security. As the gas pipeline facilities of Uzbekistan are well developed with a gas transit capacity closing to 1 400×108 m3/a, which is comparable to that of Ukraine, it has a significant geopolitical influence on the gas supply and demand relationship among Turkmenistan, China and Russia. With the development of China's energy interaction with Central Asia and the Middle East, Uzbekistan's influence and energy corridor power will increase gradually. Thus, it is recommended for China to pay more attention to the development strategy of Uzbekistan, to strengthen interdependence through energy cooperation, to weaken its geopolitical power advantages, and to enhance the emergency capacity of the energy transport system with the diversified sources of energy imports and the multiple routes available.

Keywords

• uzbekistan
• central asia
• natural gas
• transit country
• cross-border transportation
• cross-border pipeline
• the belt and road