Energy Security and Third Country Policies of the EU and PRC

Start date: October 2021

Principal Investigator: Johanna G.B. Rust

Overview:

Power shifts, insecurity in energy supply and distribution, global supply chain reliability, and other topics highlight a dynamic development in world markets and between countries. Recently, nothing is more pressing than discussing energy issues linked to climate change and security. Therefore, energy security is a highly prioritized agenda for not only the European Union (EU) but the People´s Republic of China as well. As net importers of energy and as two of four power blocks on the globe (besides the Russian Federation and the United States), China and the EU need to secure sufficient energy resources to keep their economies thriving.

Originated from fossil fuel supply as a transboundary traded commodity of high importance, concepts of energy security changed in the past decades. New forms of energy and new infrastructure required a different understanding of energy security. Still, energy security is beside the domestic dimension of a policy field of external relations and, therefore, important as a foreign policy topic.

This project approaches the conceptualization of energy security and its implementation into policies and practice, especially regarding foreign energy policy in third countries. One focus lies on the Central Asian region as being in the middle of Europe and China with new arising actors from the south in the region. It scrutinizes the impact and influence of different actors and their interests in foreign energy security policies as well as the cooperation abilities of regional partner countries.