KAZAKHSTAN HAS ”HUGE PLAN” TO EXPAND ENERGY LINKS WITH CHINA

In a wide-ranging interview, Kazakhstan’s foreign minister, Kasymzhomart Tokaev, said the Central Asian nation was negotiating with China on an expansion of energy links between the two nations. He also revealed that US President George W. Bush is planning to visit Kazakhstan this year. In addition, Tokaev, who spoke with a EurasiaNet writer during a recent trip to Great Britain, confirmed Kazakhstan’s participation in the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. The full text of Tokaev’s comments follows:

EurasiaNet: Where does China fit in Kazakhstan’s energy-export calculus?
Tokaev: We have a huge plan for building a comprehensive [oil] pipeline to China. It is currently in the negotiation process for export [capacity]. [Kazakhstani] President [Nursultan] Nazarbayev will visit China this year, and Chinese president Hu Jintao is also expected to visit Kazakhstan. Both sides are very interested in concluding the project. It will run from Atyrau [in Kazakhstan] all the way to China. It may be concluded in up to two years. It will not take long time [to finish it].

EurAsiaNet