OREANDA-NEWS. February 01, 2010. For the past months the publications about age-old cooperation between the friendly Turkmen and Chinese people hit the headlines of the electronic and print media in the People’s Republic of China. The publications and messages spread in the Internet network during these days focus on the news about supply of Turkmen natural gas to the capital of China – Beijing.

Referring to the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) the Chinese news agency Xinhua reported that the transfer of natural gas from the Zinobian compressor station towards Beijing and neighbouring districts had started in the third decade of January. This event marked by completing the construction of the western section of the West-East pipeline connected to the Turkmenistan-China gas poipeline which transported gas from the Samandepe field through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

The most popular newspaper in the country Renmin Ribao noted in its turn that the specialists forecast that natural gas supplies would allow bettering the situation in Beijing which was on the verge of gas shortage for the dramatic increase in ‘blue fuel’ consumption during the severe cold winter. Thus, the amount of gas supplied to the domestic market increased to about 1 billion cubic metres in the winter.

The Oil and Capital online edition, which has the high prestige in the media world, reported that Turkmen gas had been supplied to Urumqi (the administrative centre of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region), which became the first consumer of Turkmen ‘blue fuel’ in China. After putting the western section of the second West-East pipeline into operation on December 31, 2009, the gas shortage was eliminated completely.

According to the Petroleum Information Agency, which refers to the China’s largest company – CNPC, which was the first of Turkmenistan’s foreign partner to receive the operator’s and contractor’s license for the development of the deposits on the Bagtyyarlyk contract territory, currently about 6.6 million cubic metres of gas is supplied each day to the Khorgos station due to stable gas extraction in the Turkmen deposits.

As is known, expansion of cooperation in the fuel and energy sector was a major issue son the agenda of the talks between the leaders of the two countries last December. Then, informing of China’s interest in stable supplies of Turkmen natural gas, President Hu Jintao emphasized that the Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline, which starts on the Samandepe gas fields on the right bank of the Amu Darya River, was a project of cooperation benefiting both countries as well as the region.

”China stands ready to concert efforts with Turkmen partners to ensure the effective operation of the gas pipeline, to continue enhancing bilateral cooperation in the spirit of friendly consultations, mutual benefit and common gain thus promoting the development of economic and trade and other sectors,” all the national newspapers of the friendly country commented.

Spotlighting the energy sector among the priority fields of cooperation President Hu Jintao underscored the importance of the world’s largest gas pipeline, which he called “a landmark project of cooperation between the two countries” that promised a real benefit to all participating countries. “We are ready to continue successful cooperation in the strategically important energy sector including such promising fields as prospecting and joint development of gas deposits, hydrocarbon transportation and processing,” the Chinese leader stated putting forward the concrete proposals to his Turkmen counterpart.

In the exclusive interview given to the Chinese journalists before the working visit of the PRC, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov emphasized that “the Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline is a model of strategic partnership based on equality, complementarity, full awareness and search for the potential for cooperation.” “The implementation of this project will ensure a balance of interests of energy exporters, transit countries and energy importers,” the news agencies across the world cited the Turkmen leader’s statements at that time.

The ceremony of launching the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan-China gas pipeline of an unprecedented scale and significance held with the participation of the leaders of China, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan invited by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov took place less than a month ago – in mid December 2009.

“One of the largest energy projects of modern times has been launched. 7,000 kilometres of the pipeline that will supply forty billion cubic metres of Turkmen natural gas for thirty years were laid in the shortest period of time, even according to the present-day standards, in the difficult natural and climatic conditions,” many popular internet portals with the wide audience in all parts of the planet commented on this historic event.

“Only the economically strong, stable, confident in their future states, which are completely aware of the common goals, clearly see the prospects for long-term cooperation, are able to implement the projects on such scale,” most of them quoted the Turkmen leader.

The UN News Centre highly evaluated this historic event characterizing the launch of the Trans-Asian gas pipeline as an important event of the year 2009. According to the experts of this largest and most authoritative organisation “the largest energy pipeline of the twenty-first century will be a major factor of energy security in Asia.”

“The Central Asian republics are a new power on the Asian continent. Their development and unique geographical location attract global attention. China pins hopes on sustainable and stable development of Central Asia and urges the international community to provide more active support for the peaceful development of the region, develop equitable, practical and mutually advantageous cooperation with these countries on the basis of understanding and respect for their history, culture, religion and traditions,” the well-known Chinese analysts noted.

In this context this large-scale joint project is viewed as another important factor that will have a significant positive impact on the overall situation in the region, impart more stability to continental political and economic relationships.

“Launching the Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline will ensure supply of ecologically pure energy for China’s social and economic development,” the Chinese media underlines today. In their messages they note that by 2012 construction of the national gas pipeline, which will supply Turkmen natural gas to Shanghai, Guangzhou and over 10 other provinces and cities in China, will have been completed.