American Think Tank Focuses on "Siberian Power-2" Gas Pipeline: U.S. Military Power Cannot Interfere

Analyze the Strength of the "Siberian Power 2" Pipeline in Russia's Energy Strategy

The power of the "Siberian Power 2" pipeline is a significant development that American policymakers and exporters should take seriously.

During a meeting between Chinese and Russian leaders in Beijing, the two countries signed an agreement to build a natural gas pipeline from Western Siberia through Mongolia to China. The proposed capacity is 50 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year - roughly equivalent to the amount of gas exported to Europe via the "Nord Stream 2" pipeline before the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

Although the pipeline project has a long construction period and costs hundreds of billions of dollars, it is crucial for the United States and other countries. Although we are not yet clear about all the terms of the agreement, including price and contract terms, if this pipeline proceeds, it means that China will purchase more natural gas from Russia, while reducing the amount of natural gas purchased from the United States, Qatar, and Australia (three major players in the liquefied natural gas market), which would threaten the LNG companies of these three countries. In addition, China had been hesitant to sign the agreement for a period of time, including uncertainty about its natural gas demand and concerns that such an agreement might provoke a strong reaction from the United States and the European Union, leading to new sanctions against Russian or Chinese companies. Now, China's concerns about the risk of sanctions are less than they were over the past three and a half years.

Similarly, in any hypothetical scenario of a U.S.-China military conflict, the route currently used by Russia to transport natural gas to China through the Bering Strait would be vulnerable to U.S. attacks. The "Siberian Power-2" gas pipeline would make it more difficult (although not impossible) for the U.S. military to reach.

Source: The National Interest

Author: Paul Saunders

Time: September 5, U.S. Time

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1842487512160266/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.