Building Central Asian and South Asian cooperation on Energy Security: Investigating the role of China as a Core State in Shanghai Cooperation Organization

Author(s) : Dr. Abdur Rahman, Dr. Muhammad Mushtaq

Abstract:

The pursuit of energy security has been a primary goal of many South Asian and Central Asian states. Several projects, including the TAPI Gas Pipeline, the IP Gas Pipeline, and the Central Asia-South Asia Power Project (CASA-1000), were signed to meet this demand. These projects, however, did not succeed due to ongoing political turmoil in Afghanistan, growing inter-state conflicts in the region, lack of funds, and the US sanctions against Iran. In this desperate situation, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has emerged as a ray of hope, opening new channels of cooperation between South Asian and Central Asian states. The SCO can play an important role in energy security, and China, as a core member, has assumed a pivotal role in the organization's success. The recent geopolitical shifts, particularly the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and the new detente between Saudi Arabia and Iran, are probably going to make it possible for China to establish, within the framework of its cooperative leadership, the kind of environment that would allow several Central Asian and South Asian nations to pursue cooperation on energy security. Through the lens of regional integration theory, this article investigates "What role China can play in strengthening the cooperation between Central Asian and South Asian states on energy security under the banner of SCO?" This qualitative analysis is based on the secondary sources and published literature in the field.