Cash-rich China courts the Caspian

Cash-rich China courts the Caspian

China on Thursday agreed to loan Kazakhstan US$10 billion in return for the right to take a big stake in the Central Asian country's energy sector. This follows similar initiatives with Russian energy giants and the financing of a gas pipeline from Turkmenistan via Uzbekistan to China. The global financial crisis has provided cash-rich Beijing with opportunity, and it is grasping it with gusto. - M K Bhadrakumar (Apr 17,'09)

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/KD18Ag01.html