Geopolitics of Energy in Kazakhstan: Implications for China

In only a decade, Kazakhstan has become China's second-biggest partner behind Russia in the post- Soviet space. Economic relations between Astana and Beijing are characterized by a considerable imbalance of power that is of concern in some political and expert circles in Kazakhstan. At the same time, the tremendous opportunity for development offered by China's proximity brings hope that the country might be extricated from the crisis that followed the dissolution of the Soviet Union. This paper claims that China's energy policy in Kazakhstan is a part of its broader geopolitical approach towards the region that includes economic and infrastructure links; fight against the so-called "three evils" (terrorism, separatism, and extremism); evicting U.S. bases, limiting Russia's influence and using a multilateral organization like the SCO. This paper analyses Kazakh-China relations' various energy dimensions, which have strong relevance in the Kazakhstan energy sector because energy security stimulates a nation's economic development. It emphasizes the overall Kazakh-China relations and discusses the relevance of Kazakhstan energy from China's perspective.