Central Asian Rail Deal Allowing China to Bypass Russia, Expand Trade with Europe
April 27th, 2020
Via The Jamestown Foundation, an article on China’s efforts to find a rail route to Europe that bypasses Russia: For the last two decades, Moscow has counted on Beijing’s regular use of Russian railways to export Chinese goods to Europe. In turn, China’s reliance on Russian rail was based on the presumption that any substitute […]
Read more »Central Asia’s Force Majeure Fears: COVID-19’s Impact On China’s Natural Gas Demands
March 18th, 2020
Via Eurasia Review, a report on COVID-19’s impact on China’s demand for natural gas from Central Asia: China’s COVID-19 outbreak has seen Beijing’s demand for natural gas stutter, after years of breakneck expansion. In February, China’s natural gas demand was estimated to have fallen 17 percent year-on-year, and while there were some subsequent indications of recovery for liquefied natural […]
Read more »The Greater Caspian Region: A New Silk Road, With or Without A New Belt
March 7th, 2020
Via The Atlantic Council, an interesting look at Central Asia and the new Silk Road: With the signing of a US-Taliban peace agreement, now might be a good time to look ahead to how Afghanistan might strengthen its economic connectivity with both its neighbors and more distant markets. Now, there will be a 135-day period of […]
Read more »Lukoil’s Strategic Interests in Turkmenisan
February 11th, 2020
Via Times of Central Asia, a report on Lukoil’s strategic interests in Turkmenistan: President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov on February 5 in Ashgabat received Vagit Alekperov, President of the largest Russian private oil company LUKOIL. During the meeting, Alekperov said that LUKOIL has strategic interests in Turkmenistan, which has significant hydrocarbon reserves, the Russian company […]
Read more »Turkmenistan’s Latest Boondoggle: A New $1.5 Billion City
February 7th, 2020
Via The Diplomat, a report on Turkmenistan’s plans to to build a $1.5-billion city amid spending cuts: Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has reportedly allocated $1.5 billion to build a new city; meanwhile, the government has cut social spending and the country’s economy is weakened by low global energy prices. Berdymukhamedov said in a decree the money […]
Read more »Tajik Claim Of Pipeline Progress Is Welcome News In Turkmenistan
February 3rd, 2020
Via Radio Free Europe, a report on the latest status of the Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline: When it comes to energy pipelines in Central Asia, the news is usually bad — delays or disruptions but rarely anything positive. That’s why the reports this week that Tajikistan was constructing its part of the Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline was […]
Read more »Focusing primarily on The New Seven Sisters - the largely state owned petroleum companies from the emerging world that have become key players in the oil & gas industry as identified by Carola Hoyos, Chief Energy Correspondent for The Financial Times - but spanning other nascent opportunities around the globe that may hold potential in the years ahead, Wildcats & Black Sheep is a place for the adventurous to contemplate & evaluate the emerging markets of tomorrow.