India should not challenge China in Central Asia: Report

BEIJING: India should cooperate with China to tap energy in resource-rich Central Asia instead of challenging it, a Chinese official think-tank said as it cast doubts over the realisation of the TAPI gas pipeline project soon.

"Currently, the China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline has a stable supply and has been expanded. In the future, it can provide as much as 65 billion cubic metres annually. Besides, the regions it passes through have relatively stable security, and the buildup and operation of the pipeline can thus be ensured," state-run Global Times reported on its website.

"By contrast, the TAPI ( Turkmenistan-Afghanistan- Pakistan-India) pipeline is still in its initial stage, and the biggest threats come from the Afghan situation and India-Pakistan relations. India needs to deal with both issues cautiously which is a huge task," the article by a scholar from the Academy of Chinese Energy Strategy with the China University of Petroleum said.

Due to its geopolitical disadvantages and the current oil and gas exploration in Central Asia, India can hardly enter this field as an independent investor.

"A wise choice would be to cooperate with the West, Russia or China," it said.

"Judging from energy policies in both China and India, New Delhi should seek mutual benefits with China, rather than attempting to challenge the more experienced power in this region," the article said.

TAPI is a 1,735 km-long proposed natural gas pipeline being developed by the Asian Development Bank at an estimated cost of $7.6 billion. Expected to be completed around 2017, the pipeline will transport Caspian Sea natural gas from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan into Pakistan and then to India.