Russian aggression boosts China’s bargaining power
With the Putin administration hard-pressed by Western sanctions, Beijing may look to take advantage
The world looked very different when Russian president Vladimir Putin and Chinese president Xi Jinping announced a grand new alliance between their countries at the start of the Winter Olympics in China in early February, touting it as a “no limits” partnership superior to Nato and other Cold War-era alliances. The former’s apparent miscalculation over the strength of reaction by Ukraine’s allies to his illegal invasion has handed the latter the upper hand in their new relationship. “The war in Ukraine has shifted the Russian-Chinese energy balance in China’s favour,” says Jan Kalicki, an energy security expert at the Wilson Center, a Washington-based thinktank. “The Kremlin must depend much
Also in this section
3 May 2024
Upcoming elections are likely to deliver a win for the party of president Andres Lopez Obrador, but analysts differ over to what degree his successor will stick to his energy policies
2 May 2024
Faster-than-expected economic growth fails to mask macro imbalances and shifting structural oil product trends
1 May 2024
Energean CEO Mathios Rigas looks to results of critical Anchois appraisal well
30 April 2024
While its regional neighbours reap the rewards of oil and gas success, Iraq’s hydrocarbons sector is lagging behind