The energy sector is a strategic focus of Turkmen-Chinese cooperation, the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said in an interview with the Chinese television channel CGTN during his visit to China this month. The text of the interview was published by the Turkmen Foreign Ministry.
According to Berdimuhamedov, in April 2006, the governments of Turkmenistan and China signed a General Agreement on the implementation of the Turkmenistan–China gas pipeline project and the supply of Turkmen natural gas to China. The gas pipeline was commissioned on 14 December 2009. Since then, Turkmenistan has been supplying China with approximately 40 billion cubic meters of gas per year, in accordance with the agreement.
“As of 1 March 2026, approximately 460 billion cubic meters of natural gas has been supplied to China via the Turkmenistan–China gas pipeline. We are currently working together to increase gas export volumes to 65 billion cubic meters per year. Such a gas strategy serves the long-term interests of Turkmenistan and China and is in line with global economic trends,” the Turkmen leader said.
Berdimuhamedov highlighted that the Chinese company CNPC has won the international tender to develop one of the world’s largest gas fields, Galkynysh, located in southeastern Turkmenistan. This project is designed to provide an additional 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually.
Thus, a robust infrastructure network for the export of Turkmen energy resources to China is being developed jointly and systematically to ensure long-term, uninterrupted supplies, he said.
