China, US Seek Influence In Central Asia

摘要

Sensing that Russia's hold over the oil- and gas-rich nations of the Caspian and Central Asia is weakening, China and the West are moving to bolster their influence. China has extended loans to Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, and US President Barack Obama has stepped up the game by appointing Richard Morningstar, a former US ambassador to the European Union, as his special energy envoy to the region. US diplomacy already seems to be paying dividends in establishing closer ties with Turkmenistan, and the US Department of Energy recentiy restated its strong support for the former Soviet state's efforts to diversify its export routes away from a heavy reliance on Russia. Beijing has been leveraging its financial clout at a time of financial hardship elsewhere to expand its influence, recently agreeing loans of $3 billion to Turkmenistan, $10 billion to Kazakhstan and $25 billion to Russia All the deals support energy projects that bind the countries closer to China (PIW Apr.27,p6).