Sino-Russian Energy Relations: Heading for a new era?

Sino-Russian Energy Relations have witnessed a series of drastic changes during the last ten years, but are set to experience a huge expansion in terms of both scope and degree in the coming ten years. Sino-Russian energy cooperation is being driven by China’s necessity of taking the maximum crude supply from Russia, while the continuously delayed Sino-Russian gas price-deal became the main stumbling block of Sino-Russian energy cooperation. The scale of the bilateral energy cooperation will expand hugely once the compromise on the long delayed gas price deal is made. This price-deal breakthrough will usher in a new era of Sino-Russian energy cooperation. On top of this, Sino-Russian coal and electricity cooperation is gaining momentum, and the scale of Sino-Russian energy relations will likely broaden rapidly and its contribution to the trading volume of both countries will be significant. One thing certain is that the current boundaries of Sino-Russian energy cooperation will expand substantially in the coming years and the implications towards regional and global politics and energy trading will not be small.