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Russia has shown to be willing to use natural gas as a geopolitical weapon. There is no chance China will become dependant on natural gas from outside their bor

Russia has shown to be willing to use natural gas as a geopolitical weapon. There is no chance China will become dependant on natural gas from outside their border.

function_seven 7y ago
I'm thinking that China could flip the script by getting Russia to become dependent on Chinese money buying their gas. Use just enough of it to establish the relationship, but not so much that a pipeline shutdown will overly harm the Chinese economy. The population ratio (~10:1) and GDP ratio (~4:1) makes it possible to create this scenario.
bobthepanda 7y ago
Not only that, but Russia-Chinese relations have not always been smooth. They have had dustups over one of the longest land borders in the world before.
- eunos 7y ago
  With this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Sino-Soviet_Border_Agreement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Sino-Soviet_Border_Agreem... I think border disagreement already solved. Besides, I believe they realize the contention between them only strengthens NATO over them. I think the possible conflict nowadays is influence over central Asia. However, they might share the influence with China got the economic influence and Russia got political influence. It is interesting to predict this balance post-Putin though.
  - bobthepanda 7y ago
    I mean, that's for now. Russia and the US also signed an agreement over the Ukraine in 1994 and look how that went.
    - vkou 7y ago
      Ukraine moving out of the Russian, and into the NATO sphere of influence is the reason for why that went the way it did. The China-Russia dynamic is a little different.
    - eunos 7y ago
      That's why if one of the parties goes caput the balance might be disturbed.