German Foreign Minister Central Asia seeks energy cooperation

German Foreign Minister Baerbock visits mining facilities in Uzbekistan on November 1 in Almalek, Uzbekistan. (Visual China)

Russia‘s "Independent" reported on October 31 that hundreds of European companies are preparing to relocate to Central Asia due to high energy prices in Europe. The main advantages of the region are cheap labor and energy supply, including oil and gas. Germany‘s planned cooperation with Kazakhstan will be carried out according to the "raw materials for technology" model. Germany provides technology to develop local rare earth resources. At the same time, the EU sees Central Asia as a potential platform for production transfer, including consumer goods. The report quoted Solozobo, director of the regional project at Russia‘s Caspian Institute for Strategic Research, as saying that the EU sees the region as a partner for its industrial and logistics transfer. Global logistics chains are shifting due to lockdowns, sanctions and the global economic shift to Asia.

"The visit of the German foreign minister tried to solve the energy problem and bring Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan closer to the EU." A report in the Belarusian newspaper Minsk Pravda on 1 November analyzed the purpose of the German foreign minister‘s trip. Lin Boqiang, dean of the China Energy Policy Research Institute at Xiamen University, told the Global Times that China and Central Asia have a solid foundation for energy cooperation, and Germany‘s move will not have a significant impact on energy cooperation between China and Central Asia. "Previously, a lot of energy projects in Europe and Central Asia passed through Russia. Now after the Russian line is broken, Europe will strengthen cooperation with Central Asia, because Central Asia is relatively rich in energy and Europe needs this. ”

Russia‘s "Economy Today" network reported on November 1 that the German foreign minister said during a visit to Kazakhstan that Kazakhstan has great potential in renewable energy production, and the two sides will carry out cooperation in the production of "green hydrogen" in Central Asia in the future to strengthen the region‘s ties with the European Union. In this regard, Brutel, an expert at the Russian Institute of International Humanitarian and Political Research, said that Kazakhstan is a major exporter of oil and gas, and "green" energy is not a promising field.