2018 Energy Security Workshop
The Emerging Russia-Asia Energy Axis
On July 17, NBR and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars co-hosted the fourteenth annual Energy Security Workshop, “The Emerging Russia-Asia Energy Axis.”
Russia possesses enormous oil, gas, and coal reserves and also neighbors some of the world’s largest energy importers. Japan, China, and South Korea, among other Asian energy importers, have long sought greater access to these immense resources. Russia could significantly reduce these countries’ heavy dependence on imports from the Middle East and sea lanes that pass through the contested waters of East Asia.
While the results of prior efforts to strengthen Russia-Asia energy ties have been modest, this dynamic has begun to shift in ways that are creating opportunities for deepening ties and expanding trade. Shifts in Russia’s energy industry are opening new avenues for investment in energy projects, and Russia’s role in Northeast Asia and elsewhere in the region has been quietly growing. The country’s rising energy presence in Asia is now contributing to closer Sino-Russian strategic alignment and is increasingly undermining the effectiveness of Western sanctions. This trend has important implications for energy security and the broader strategic outlook for the United States and Asia that are not yet well understood by senior U.S. policymakers.
With these concerns in mind, the 2018 Energy Security Workshop examined:
- Russia’s evolving energy industry, with a focus on the key players and industry strategies dominating the country’s “pivot” to Asia.
- Perspectives from the region’s major energy importers, including China, Japan, and South Korea, on the economic and geopolitical implications of growing Russia-Asia ties.
- The implications of Russia’s growing role in Asian energy markets for U.S. strategic interests in the region.
Kindly note that the Energy Security Workshop is held under Chatham House Rule.
Speakers
Edward C. Chow, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Erica Downs, CNA Corporation
Jonathan Elkind, Columbia University, Center on Global Energy Policy
Clara Gillispie, The National Bureau of Asian Research
Samantha Gross, The Brookings Institution
James Henderson, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies
Mikkal E. Herberg, The National Bureau of Asian Research
Shoichi Itoh, Institute for Energy Economics, Japan
Younkyoo Kim, Hanyang University
Michael Kugelman, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Meghan O’Sullivan, Harvard Kennedy School
Morena Skalamera, Harvard Kennedy School; Institute of Applied Research at Narxoz University
Event Co-Hosts
