China opens new gas link with Turkmenistan

President Hu Jintao attended ceremonies opening a natural gas pipeline connecting China’s Xinjiang province with a Chinese-developed gas field in eastern Turkmenistan, Reuters reported. The pipeline stretches 1,833 kilometers, and has a full capacity of 40 billion cubic meters, which it is expected to fill by 2013. The pipeline passes through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan on its way to China, and leaders of all four countries joined to formally open the pipeline tap. Given fractious relations, it is rare for Central Asian leaders to assemble. China’s latest successful foray into Central Asia comes at the expense of the region’s relations with Russia, which considers the region within its sphere of influence, and with Europe, which hopes the region can serve as an alternative energy supplier to Russia.