Theme of the energy cooperation will be among the priority on the agenda of the upcoming Central Asia – China summit, which will be held on May 18-19 in the ancient Chinese city Xi’an, according to well-known analytical centers and political scientists.

The summit will be attended by the heads of the Central Asian states (Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) and China. The main vectors of interstate cooperation in this format are energy, transport, logistics, investment and trade and economic sphere. 

According to experts, the participation of Turkmenistan in the Central Asia-China summit, in fact, provides the energy component of the partnership of states in this format. As President Serdar Berdimuhamedov stressed in an interview with the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China “Renmin Zhibao” in January of this year, put into operation at the end of 2009 Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline became the largest joint The energy project implemented on the Asian continent, and to date, has already delivered over 350 billion cubic meters of natural gas.

As experts expect, the leaders of the countries of Central Asia and China will discuss issues of increasing the supply of Turkmen natural gas to the region’s energy market. At present, gas supplies are carried out along three lines (A, B and C), which run along the route Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan-China. Moreover, not only the end consumer – China, but also transit countries – Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, can use Turkmen natural gas. 

As you know, in recent years the issue of construction of the fourth branch (D) of the Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline, which will be laid along the updated route: Turkmenistan – Uzbekistan-Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan – China, has been discussed. this route was chosen according to the appeals of Dushanbe and Bishkek, who are experiencing the needs for energy resources and are interested in buying Turkmen “blue fuel”. 

The commissioning of the 4th line will make it possible to bring the Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline to its design capacity and supply up to 65 billion cubic meters per year to the Celestial energy market annually. At the same time, branch D will make it possible to carry out direct deliveries of Turkmen gas to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.