A massive work of infrastructure has just been brought online, and its geopolitical implications are explosive. Last week, the presidents of Russia and China jointly inaugurated one of the biggest pieces of gas infrastructure in the world. The “Power of Siberia” pipeline is sending gas from eastern Siberia over 3,000 kilometers of tundra to northern China; and when it reaches its full capacity of 38 billion cubic meters a year, it will account for about one- sixth of China’s imported gas demand. To some, this is a minor amount and not a reason to worry. Yet a sixth of imports is a pretty solid portion for the world’s largest gas import market. What’s more, there is already talk about Power of Siberia 2, which will bring the Russian share in China’s imported gas market higher, if it comes to be. As is invariably the case with large-scale Russian projects, […]