As the Obama Administration continues to pick diplomatic fights with both Russia and China on every issue they can find, the two nations seem to be moving closer together, finalizing what Russians are calling the “gas deal of the century.”
The 30-year $400 billion deal has Russia’s massive company Gazprom, the largest natural gas company in the world, exporting enormous amounts of natural gas into China. The exact price was not disclosed, but was estimated at $350 per 1,000 cubic meters.
That’s cheap for the Asian market but above-market for much of the rest of the world. The deal takes some pressure off Gazprom’s possible losses in the European market as a result of Ukraine’s failure to pay its bills and the difficulty of getting gas to the rest of Europe if Ukraine gets shut off.
Chinese President Xi Jinping followed up the major business deal with a call for the creation of a new security pact for Asia, including China, Russia, and Iran. Details were scant but the move is perceived as an attempt to offset the increasing US efforts to intervene in the areas around China.
The security pact sure sounds intriguing. Is the rest of the world finally going to do something about the earth's bully?
I think future historians will rank the US's coup in Ukraine over its invasion of Iraq as the worst strategic disaster in US history.
Unlike the Ukrainian Movement of Patriotic Moochers, the Chinese will pay their bills.
This what happens when you UNLAWFULLY impose sanctions on other Nations.
Russia does NOT need the European Nations BUT THE EU REQUIRES RUSSIAN GAS.
Security pact including RUSSIA< CHINA and IRAN .Now isen't that wonderful.
You see the WORLD does not revolve around AMERICA.
Maybe at last the USG and OBAMA may get the idea and come to their senses.
I suspect the USG will use this as proof that Russia and China are dangerous and continue to expand their current thrust into former Soviet territories. They will not admit that the USG actions precipitated this deal and possible treaty between Russia and China.
They want a war that will resolve the "Who's the King of the World" issue for all time.
This is bound to get Obama frothing at the mouth. I'm sure he will find a way to punish those who dare to cross him….Ignore is a better word.
Mad dogs normally froth at the mouth – before they die.
The long-term political effect of this will be to undermine the Russian Federation. The areas from which the gas comes are inhabited by oriental people in Russia's Siberian empire. The greater Chinese presence, and with the Russian colonists slowly leaving anyway, will encourage the native peoples to seek their independence, with Chinese backing. And, of course, Putin has given them the political justification: if the Crimean Russians have the right to self-determination, so have the no-Russian peoples of the empire. The ramifications of Nuland's blunder are spreading out very far indeed!
My, you are so ignorant on anything Russian — but give you "A" for your neocon persistance that is becoming full fledged delusion. All Russian Republics, and with Crimea, there are now 23 of them, have rights on the use of their language as one of the official languages, and as Republics, they have a great deal of autonomy. In Russia, the ancestors of Native Americans are still living and thriving, using not only their language, but with Samanism being one of the official religions of the Russian Federations. The development in Russia is going eastward — just the opposite of what you are saying. Russia's population is increasing. It is only the neocons and their eager "liberal" pupils in Russia that are screaming the "Yellow scare". While neocons and their liberal brethern are COUNTING on Russian right to come to the rescue, and whip up some hate, it is not working. Christian Orthodox religion is just not suited for such projects, as the issue of good and evil is not man defined and propagated through obliging media. It is fundamentally closer to the religions of the East, and thus, our Sweedish neocon declared Orthodoxy "the danger to Europe". My, are they all coming out of the closet! In Serbia, the neocon brigade is so worried, that their pens are sharpening, calling all those that do not agree with them — Asians! What an honor!
Siberia is about 95% Slavic Russian – more than on the European side. That is because – outside the major cities – the only people that live there are reindeer herders who have adapted their way of life to extremely cold (-50 C) temperatures. Also, Yakuts, Evenks, Buryats, are not related to the Chinese, anymore than the Japanese are.
If I were a plain old civilian in say, Waldorf, Germany, I would be planning for a long, cold winter. With a large, guaranteed customer to the east, Gazprom (Russia) no longer requires Europe. It would be nice to keep the EU customers but they are no longer critically needed. And with that, they can now shut off the Ukraine pipeline and get the full attention of the EU – who will undoubtedly claim the shutdown as antagonistic, ignoring the "free market" aspects completely.
Russia will not give up its customers in Europe. Austria signed up to the South Stream project just a couple of weeks ago, which will bypass Ukraine and deliver cheaper gas to Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Serbia, Croatia, and Italy.
It is the EU commission that wants to kill the project and antagonize Russia, but we know that Brussels is just a Yankee puppet.
Just make sure the gas is not priced in Imperial Yankee Greenbacks. Rubles and yuan only.
The talking heads were actually discussing that aspect yesterday, conceding that the US$ most likely is not the payment currency for the deal.
The USG has arrogantly used (sanctions) to impose its will over developing countries
without regard to the damage and hardship inflicted on those citizens. It's about time
somebody stood up and said, 'We don't need your Yankee dollars".
seems like smart move by us. at last irreparable harm to eu ru relationship. ue may be forced to commit to us policy in Syria to get gulf gass pipeline. opening up opportunities for the merchants of death as conflict widens…. and us oil will take advantage chaotic situation and higher prices to ship to the then totally nurtured europeans. and we will engage ru and china before they get full momentum. things are progressing according to plan my young apprentice.