ABSTRACT
China and India joining the global economy has led to a dramatic increase in demand on worldwide energy markets. For these two ‘emerging powers’ of the 21st century, energy and foreign policy are closely connected. The region and its dynamic economic growth highly depend on energy imports. Apart from oil from the Middle East, energy imports from Russia, Central Asia and Africa play an increasing role. Over the past few years, a close network of energy-political cooperation and trade flows have developed among the states of Central and East Asia.
