Geopolitical Considerations in China’s Energy Policy in Shanghai Cooperation Organization Region

Subject Areas :

Elaheh  Kolaei ¹ (استاد و عضو هیات علمی گروه مطالعات منطقه ای دانشگاه تهران)
Mandana  Tisheyar ² (دکترای مطالعات بین الملل دانشگاه جواهر لعل نهرو، هندوستان و استادیار مهمان دانشکده مطالعات جهان، دانشگاه تهران)

Received: 2012-02-02 Accepted : 2012-04-07 Published : 2012-01-01

Keywords: energy Security, Geopolitics, Central Asia, China, ethnic minority, Shanghai cooperation organization,

Abstract :

After China started the policy of implementing reforms in its economic structure from 1990, the economy expanded enormously and took great leap forward and the consumption of energy in different sector of the economy increased. With the increase in the need of China for energy, the question of the security of access to energy became one of the important issues of the foreign policy of this country and also in relations of China with countries in its periphery. But the expansion of China’s presence in the region is not only due to China’s dependence to the import of energy and making safe the routes of access to it. This policy of China should be regarded in a wider framework and taking into consideration its economic and political objectives. In fact the increase in the ties of China with the developing countries and the expansion of its presence in region should be interpreted in the direction of increasing its influence and position at the international level and should not be considered merely for the sake of access to energy sources. On the whole it seems that the question of supply of energy though plays an important role in shaping China’s regional and global behavior but it cannot make the foreign policy of this country dependent on this type of considerations. In present paper an attempt has been made to show that though energy is an important factor in relations of China with the countries of Shanghai Cooperation Organization, nevertheless it seems that energy is having more an instrumental role for furtherance of geopolitical interest of that country. For understanding the nature of China’s energy policy one should study in a wider perspective the multiple preferences of security policies and competition of this country with other countries in Shanghai Cooperation Organization region.