Kazinform reported on April 3 that the EU is Kazakhstan's largest trading partner and major investor, with its direct investment in Kazakhstan accounting for more than 40%. In 2024, the total trade volume between Kazakhstan and EU member states was approximately $50 billion, accounting for 80% of the EU's total trade with Central Asia.
According to information from the Chinese Embassy in Kazakhstan, in 2024, the trade volume between China and Kazakhstan reached $43.82 billion, growing by 6.8%, setting a new historical high. If considering individual countries, China has become Kazakhstan's largest trading partner and also an important source of investment.
Kazinform reported on April 4 that according to data from the Kazakh National Statistics Agency, in 2024, the main export markets of Kazakhstan were as follows:
Italy - 22.9%
China - 18.3%
Russia - 11.7%
Netherlands - 6.5% France - 4.5%
Turkey - 4.1%
The formation of this geopolitical result
European and American capital deeply controls three of Kazakhstan's largest oil fields and key transportation routes - the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC).
In 2024, Tengiz, the largest oil field in Kazakhstan and the largest taxpayer in the country, was discovered in 1979, and the company was established on April 6, 1993. Currently, Chevron holds 50%, KazMunayGas, a state-owned oil and gas company of Kazakhstan, holds 20%, ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Ventures holds 25%, and Lukoil of Russia holds 5%.
The second-largest taxpayer in Kazakhstan is the Karachaganak Oil Operating Company. The development of the Karachaganak oil field began in 1997. Members of the international consortium of Karachaganak Oil Operating Company include Shell (29.25%), Eni (29.25%), Chevron (18%), Lukoil of Russia (13.5%), and KazMunayGas of Kazakhstan (10%).
In addition, Kashagan, the oil field with the highest reserves, ranked seventh in terms of tax payments in Kazakhstan in 2024. Located in the northern Caspian Sea, Kashagan is the largest oil field in Kazakhstan, discovered in 2000 and began development in 2016. It is considered one of the largest oil fields globally since the discovery of the "Prudhoe Bay" field in Alaska in 1968, earning it the nickname "Oil Goliath."
The Kashagan oil field is operated by North Caspian Operating Company (NCOC), a joint venture comprising KazMunayGas of Kazakhstan (16.88%), Royal Dutch Shell (16.81%), ExxonMobil of the United States (16.81%), Eni of Italy (16.81%), Total of France (16.81%), INPEX of Japan (7.55%), and CNPC of China (8.33%).
Most of Kazakhstan's oil exports are transported through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), which transits Russian territory.
CPC transports oil from Kazakhstan to the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk; it is estimated that it handles 80% of Kazakhstan's exports. According to reports by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Kazakh-language service Azattyq, in 2024, CPC transported 63 million tons of oil, of which 53 million tons came from Kazakhstan, most of which was sent to Europe and the United States.
CPC is a pipeline connecting the Tengiz oil field, the highest-yield oil field in Kazakhstan, to the second marine terminal at Novorossiysk on the Black Sea coast. CPC is also the main export route for the Kashagan oil field, which has the largest reserves, and the Karachaganak oil field, which ranks third in reserves. CPC is the only pipeline within Russian territory not monopolized by the Russian State Oil Transportation Corporation.
The operating company of the CPC Alliance was originally established in 1992 on the island of Bermuda, with two companies managing it: CPC-R responsible for the Russian part of the pipeline and CPC-K responsible for the Kazakhstan portion.
Other crude oil export pipelines in Kazakhstan include the Atasu-Samara pipeline towards Russia and the Atasu-Alashankou pipeline towards China.
CPC shareholders include Russia holding 31% (including 24% held by Russian Pipeline Transportation Company); Kazakhstan holding 20.75% (including 19% held by KazMunayGas, a state-owned oil and gas company of Kazakhstan, and 1.75% held by Kazakhstan Pipeline Transportation Company); Chevron Caspian Pipeline Consortium holding 15%; LUKARCO holding 12.5%; Mobil Caspian Pipeline Company holding 7.5%; Rosneft/Shell Caspian Pipeline Company consortium holding 7.5%; BG Overseas Holdings Limited holding 2%; Eni International holding 2%; and Gazelle Caspian Pipeline Company holding 1.75%.
Geopolitics is built on the foundation of power, influence, and control over territory.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the carbon-rich Central Asian region saw a huge power vacuum emerge as Russian influence waned, leading to intense investment and development competition in the Caspian region by American capital.
In 1998, Dick Cheney, widely regarded as one of the most powerful vice presidents in U.S. history, commented: I can't remember when we last encountered a period like this where such a strategically significant region like the Caspian suddenly emerged.
«This article draws on reports from media outlets such as Kazinform»
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7489305641140421120/
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