Methodological Aspects of Assessing the Effectiveness of Russian–Chinese Energy Cooperation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17059/ekon.reg.2026-3-16Keywords:
China-Russia energy cooperation, complementary energy projects, cost-benefit analysis, direct and indirect effects, efficiency reference frameworksAbstract
Energy cooperation between Russia and China consistently remains one of the most important strategic areas of their foreign economic relations. The scale and new opportunities for more comprehensive and effective forms of such cooperation are growing. To justify these projects, standard state and international project evaluation methodologies alone are not enough. This article aims to strengthen the methodological and procedural approaches used to evaluate the large complementary projects underpinning Russia-China energy cooperation, with particular attention to project priority setting and the composition of these project packages. The study draws on official program and strategy documents from Russia and China, state and departmental statistics from both countries, and approved state and international project evaluation methodologies.
By systematizing how Russia-China energy cooperation has evolved in recent years, the article shows that a shift toward a project-complementary model of energy cooperation is inevitable. Joint projects are essential for the transfer of growing volumes of fuel and energy resources from Russia to China. The energy (target) core of the projects is supplemented by associated transport-logistics and other supporting projects that create additional value, including value unrelated to energy resource exports. Since cross-sector and cross-project links, including the ones that support energy flows themselves, are becoming increasingly significant, the framework for assessing effects must be correspondingly broadened. These effects should be assessed against multiple criteria, with the technical-technological criterion being the most important for evaluating complementarity. These findings could be of interest to researchers and experts, to government bodies developing project initiatives, and to organizations in Russia and China involved in project design and pre-feasibility studies.
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