The Russia-Ukraine conflict has been going on for more than 600 days, and both countries have suffered huge losses, yet they intend to continue the war. For the squad leader, the debate about whether to support Russia or Ukraine is no longer the focus, but the impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on the world is huge, especially on China.
In fact, to some extent, since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, China has gained far more "benefits" than "losses". When it comes to China's "benefits", the first thing to say is the stability of energy **. China is a big country, but it is very dependent on imports for energy.
According to 2022 data, China's annual oil imports reached 500 million tons, while its own oil production was only 200 million tons. Of the 500 million tonnes imported, more than 80 per cent are transported by sea. In this context, China has been trying to find a stable channel for energy imports.
To this end, China has actively expanded its oil import channels and tried to import oil from many countries to avoid being overly dependent on one importing country. In addition, China is expanding its oil shipping routes to avoid sea routes as much as possible. For example, the China-Myanmar oil pipeline, built by China, is shipped directly from Myanmar back to China, avoiding the Strait of Malacca.
However, due to the limited delivery capacity, China still needs to find a better option. And after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, China finally has a reliable, cheap, and abundant energy channel. On the other hand, the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway has also brought opportunities to China.
The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway is seen as an important link between China, Central Asia and Europe, but for more than 20 years, the line has not been negotiated, the biggest reason being Russia's opposition. However, with the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the five Central Asian countries began to draw a line with Russia, and the negotiations on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway reopened.
Once the railway is built, it will be possible to go south into Pakistan in addition to connecting Europe. Overall, after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, China has achieved an important strategic breakthrough, which has brought new opportunities for the country's development. Therefore, the road to becoming a great power is not achieved overnight, and it requires continuous efforts and opportunities.