During Russia's fuel cutoff period, Kyrgyzstan urgently sent a letter to China, seeking immediate assistance.
Ukrainian drones have continuously attacked Russia's oil refineries, triggering an energy crisis in this major energy-exporting nation and directly severing Russia's vital oil supply line to Central Asia.
Lately, Kyrgyzstan has urgently announced it will indefinitely ban exports of petroleum, diesel, and gasoline to cope with the fuel shortage caused by Russia.
Kyrgyzstan is part of the Eurasian Economic Union and originally enjoyed priority fuel allocation from Russia, serving as a core link within the union’s integration framework. However, with domestic fuel shortages crippling Russia, the country has prioritized its own domestic needs, leaving its internal supply commitments unfulfilled.
More critically, Kyrgyzstan itself has almost no refining capacity, with Russian gasoline accounting for nearly 100% of its imports. A nation of 7 million people relies entirely on a single supply chain extending from Russia—when that chain breaks, the entire country grinds to a halt.
To address this crisis, Kyrgyzstan has urgently turned to neighboring countries. It revealed that it has already signed contracts with both China and Belarus for diesel and aviation fuel. China has confirmed supplying 3,000 tons of aviation fuel to Kyrgyzstan, while negotiations for importing 5,000 tons of diesel are ongoing, with deliveries expected within 10 days.
Belarus, meanwhile, will provide 3,000 tons of aviation fuel and 10,000 tons of diesel, though delivery may take between 15 to 20 days.
This situation reflects not only the grand narrative of the Belt and Road Initiative but also tangible emergency response capability. China’s energy influence in Central Asia is not built through declarations—it is accumulated through concrete actions: delivering essential supplies swiftly and reliably during times of crisis.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1870760427416576/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.