The Birth of a Eurasian Century: Russia and China Do Pipelineistan

[marmar]

from TomDispatch:


The Birth of a Eurasian Century
Russia and China Do Pipelineistan

By Pepe Escobar


HONG KONG -- A specter is haunting Washington, an unnerving vision of a Sino-Russian alliance wedded to an expansive symbiosis of trade and commerce across much of the Eurasian land mass -- at the expense of the United States.

And no wonder Washington is anxious. That alliance is already a done deal in a variety of ways: through the BRICS group of emerging powers (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa); at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Asian counterweight to NATO; inside the G20; and via the 120-member-nation Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). Trade and commerce are just part of the future bargain. Synergies in the development of new military technologies beckon as well. After Russia’s Star Wars-style, ultra-sophisticated S-500 air defense anti-missile system comes online in 2018, Beijing is sure to want a version of it. Meanwhile, Russia is about to sell dozens of state-of-the-art Sukhoi Su-35 jet fighters to the Chinese as Beijing and Moscow move to seal an aviation-industrial partnership.

This week should provide the first real fireworks in the celebration of a new Eurasian century-in-the-making when Russian President Vladimir Putin drops in on Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. You remember “Pipelineistan,” all those crucial oil and gas pipelines crisscrossing Eurasia that make up the true circulatory system for the life of the region. Now, it looks like the ultimate Pipelineistan deal, worth $1 trillion and 10 years in the making, will be inked as well. In it, the giant, state-controlled Russian energy giant Gazprom will agree to supply the giant state-controlled China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) with 3.75 billion cubic feet of liquefied natural gas a day for no less than 30 years, starting in 2018. That’s the equivalent of a quarter of Russia’s massive gas exports to all of Europe. China’s current daily gas demand is around 16 billion cubic feet a day, and imports account for 31.6% of total consumption.

Gazprom may still collect the bulk of its profits from Europe, but Asia could turn out to be its Everest. The company will use this mega-deal to boost investment in Eastern Siberia and the whole region will be reconfigured as a privileged gas hub for Japan and South Korea as well. If you want to know why no key country in Asia has been willing to “isolate” Russia in the midst of the Ukrainian crisis -- and in defiance of the Obama administration -- look no further than Pipelineistan. ......................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/175845/

[yurbud]

1. this what our stink over the Ukraine is about: preventing the economic integration of Eurasia

Russia is in the central position--stronger links with China & India OR Europe would make them a key economic player.

We are currently trying to break the connection to Europe or insert ourselves into it as a gatekeeper.

[go west young man]

2. 100% correct.

Everything else is US propaganda for fools.

[geek tragedy]

3. "no key country in Asia has been willing to 'isolate' Russia"

Only a dimwit hack like Pepe Escobar would claim Japan isn't a key country in Asia.

http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_04_29/Japans-sanctions-against-Russia-not-to-go-unanswered-Russias-FM-1114/

But, he preaches anti-American, pro-China and Kremlin propaganda, so the usual suspects lap his nonsense up.

[marmar]

4. 'the usual suspects'

Hmmm

[geek tragedy]

5. Escobar writes what a certain segment wants to read, he doesn't provide

anything approaching actual analysis, as you can see from his implicit declaration that Japan is not a key Asian country.