Putin, Xi Discuss Power of Siberia 2 Amid Iran War
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- Putin traveled to Beijing to meet Xi and discuss the stalled Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline.
- Yuri Ushakov confirmed the pipeline will be discussed “in great detail” between the two leaders.
- Power of Siberia 2 is a 2,600‑km line planned to deliver 50 billion cubic metres of Russian gas to China via Mongolia, with a September 2025 memorandum but unresolved pricing and financing.
- Iran’s war has forced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off roughly half of China’s oil imports and a third of its LNG supply, prompting Beijing to consider overland routes.
- Analysts warn that the pipeline would deepen Sino‑Russian energy co‑dependency, exposing Moscow to a single customer and locking China into Russian‑controlled supplies.
Why it matters: China gains a land‑based gas supply to replace half its oil imports lost to the Hormuz shutdown, while Russia ties its gas sales to a single buyer, cementing a high‑risk energy alliance.
