On The China - Russia Oil Cooperation

Energy security is an important aspect of a country's energy strategy. As a major oil consuming and export country, china strives to diversify its sources of oil supply; Russia, on the other side, is an important oil producing and export country that hopes to diversify its export market. The two countries, therefore, share a converging point of interests in this regard. China-Russia oil cooperation is mutually beneficial and helps to guarantee each other's energy security. Due to the route change of the oil pipeline however, cooperation in this field is never plain-sailing. Based on this incident, the thesis elaborates the reasons behind the twists and turns of China-Russia oil cooperation. By analyzing the internal and external factors that resulted in the route change of the oil pipeline, it illustrates Russia's complicated domestic environment as the background; by analyzing Russian government's consideration on the selection of the oil pipeline plan, it explores the fundamental reason-national interest. The twists and turns give expression to the practice of Realism in the Russian diplomacy: by availing itself of the competition between China and Japan to maximize its own national interests and thus to procrastinate on the decision-making. Amidst the incident, Russia also tried to balance its relations with China. The Far East Oil Pipeline Construction Plan is a pragmatic choice based on the oil producing capacity of East Siberia and the Far East. It also reflects that Russia will never give up the Chinese market. To be an energy power is Russia's preset policy. Its ever increasing energy cooperation overseas will provide opportunities for the expansion of China-Russia oil cooperation. Despite some restrictive factors, the advantage of the cooperation is obvious. The complementarities between sources and markets, good bilateral relations and geo-economic facilities are all favorable to bilateral cooperation in this field. In spite of the twist and turns, China-Russia oil cooperation still has good prospects.