THE ROLE OF KAZAKHSTAN IN THE ENERGY SECURITY OF CHINA

This study aims to propose that how Kazakhstan plays a role in the context of China’s energy security and in which situations the existing problems such as Kazakhstan’s nationalization policy in the energy sector or the lack of mutual trust and rising interdependence in the direction of bilateral energy cooperation could be overcome and new opportunities could be provided. Although Kazakhstan has a very small import ratio in China’s energy supply, the reason why it attracts multi-faceted investments from China will be highlighted. This study firstly tries to clarify how China’s energy security problem has emerged, and in this direction, and what kind of approaches has been adopted in its foreign policy is probed. Later, these approaches are tested and evaluated in the case of Kazakhstan. It is concluded that on the one hand Kazakhstan is a reliable location in terms of energy security as there are less geopolitical risks when compared to high seas and narrow passages; and on the other hand, China is aware that it cannot benefit enough from the energy sources without first achieving economic stability in the country. In this regard, it is also revealed how non-energy investments in the context of Belt and Road Initiative have a direct relationship with the energy security policy of China.