Israel-Iran Conflict Spurs China to Reconsider Russian Gas Pipeline
The war between Israel and Iran has revived Chinese leaders' interest in a pipeline that would carry Russian natural gas to China, according to people close to Beijing's decision-making, potentially jump-starting a project that has been stalled for years.
The Power of Siberia 2 pipeline project has been mired in disagreements over pricing and ownership terms, as well as Chinese concerns about relying too heavily on Russia for its energy supplies. But the recent war in the Middle East has given Beijing reason to reconsider the reliability of the oil and natural gas it gets from the region, the people said, even as a fragile cease-fire between Israel and Iran takes hold.
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