中国の中央アジアコネクション

中国の胡錦濤国家主席とトルクメニスタンのベルドイムハメドフ大統領は２３日、北京で会談し、中国への天然ガス供給を大幅に増強する文書に調印した。南シナ海問題など東アジアで孤立感を強める中国はエネルギー取引で相互依存関係にある中央アジアとの連携を強化。勢力圏を「西」に広げ、対中包囲網の回避を狙う。

世界４位の天然ガス埋蔵量を持つトルクメニスタンは、欧州向けだけでなく、アフガニスタン、パキスタン、インドにつなぐ「TAPI」パイプライン構想を持つ。中国としては早めにトルクメニスタンへの関与を強め、ガスを確保しておきたい考えだ。

中国は他の中央アジア諸国への接近も強めている。カザフスタンとは国境の町ホルゴスに共同で自由貿易特区を設定、１２月１日に本格稼働の式典を開く。査証なしでヒト・モノ・カネの移動を可能にする試みだ。日経より。

香港とカザフスタンの連携

香港取引所が、資源大国であるカザフスタンの商品取引所との間で、協力関係の構築と情報交換に関する覚書を交わした。香港取引所は、株式以外に商品取引にも乗り出す模様。日経より。

"Kazakhstan's Railway Monopoly Says Net Income Tripled Last Year" from Bloomberg

"China may double gas buys in five years after opening pipeline" from South China Morning Post

"China may more than double imports of natural gas from Turkmenistan in five years after opening a pipeline from the Central Asian nation, which holds the world's fourth-largest reserves. Turkmenistan plans to export 17 billion cubic metres of gas to China next year, rising to 40 billion cubic metres in 2015, said a Turkmenistan official. China opened the TransAsian pipeline from Turkmenistan through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in December. China turned to Central Asia for gas supplies as talks on deliveries from Russia, which has the world's largest reserves, remain deadlocked over prices."

"The Hong Kong stock exchange is rushing to turn itself into a hub for international mining stocks, and global miners are lining up - lured by the current investor zeal for stocks on the local market." from South China Morning Post

"Since January, nine mining companies from outside China have either tapped the market or disclosed details of planned share sales, mostly initial public offerings. The latest two hopefuls are LontohCoal, a South Africa-headquartered coal miner whose main asset is in neighbouring Zimbabwe and which wants to raise up to US$500 million through an IPO, and Kazakhmys, a London-listed copper miner in Kazakhstan, which plans a secondary listing of its shares that could involve a share sale.