Posted on 09/21/2022 7:33:13 PM PDT by BeauBo
Moscow’s already-eroding influence in Central Asia is set to decline even more rapidly.
Vladimir Putin’s stature shrank in Samarkand. At the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan last week, Russia’s beleaguered leader essentially apologized to his Chinese counterpart, faced verbal reprimands from India’s Prime Minister, and waited uncomfortably for the Kyrgyz President to arrive late to a bilateral meeting. The SCO summit provided visual, real-time evidence of Russia’s diminished standing in Central Asia, which has faded due to the Kremlin’s foolish and poorly executed invasion of Ukraine.
While Moscow’s already-eroding influence in Central Asia is set to decline even more rapidly, China will remain somewhat reluctant to assume regional hegemony, due to fears of upsetting its junior partner. Still, Xi Jinping’s recent visits to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, Central Asia’s wealthiest and most populous countries, respectively, and other Chinese actions suggest that Beijing is increasingly willing to assert its regional interests, even at Moscow’s expense...
Some of Beijing’s regional economic interests contradict Moscow’s. Central Asia’s oil and gas exports compete with Russia’s, while the CKU railway would also bypass Russia.
Beijing also shows an increasing willingness to assert its regional interests.
Beijing responded to Russia’s blockading of Kazakhstani oil exports by halting major investments in Russia, warning state-owned energy firms to avoid any “hasty” purchases, and publishing a history of natural gas in Beijing that conspicuously omitted the $55 billion, Russia-to-China Power of Siberia pipeline that opened in 2019. While visiting Kazakhstan’s president the day before seeing Putin at the SCO summit, Xi also pledged to “resolutely support Kazakhstan in the defense of its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity,” warning – in a clear nod to Russian threats – against “interference by any forces in the internal affairs of your country.”
(Excerpt) Read more at oilprice.com ...
Putin did that.
Sounds like more Globalist wishful thinking.
It is outright blatant wishful thinking.
Furthermore, the both allied on many many levels.
And the problem is? China can become much more powerful with the Russian resources on hands.
Yep, China will pick up weakened Russia on the cheap.
They may have a fight with Turkey.
And we helped. A lot. Fools that our leaders are. China is our true rival and enemy. After the fall of the USSR, we should have changed gears. Instead we drove a reluctant Russia into the arms of China. And what next? Weakened Russia and the West over this stupid war in Ukraine.
I’ve said from the beginning that no matter “wins” in Ukraine, China is the real winner. And they know it.
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