Context, Challenges and Countermeasures: Russian Energy Diplomacy Strategy and Sino-Russian Energy Cooperation

Abstract

This paper systematically analyzes the evolution logic of Russia’s energy diplomacy strategy from political dominance in the Soviet Union to strategic expansion in the present age, and reveals the nature of its energy as a geopolitical tool and the continuity of its east-west balance strategy. The research shows that although Sino-Russian energy cooperation forms the basic framework of oil and gas trade and facility connection, it faces three deep challenges: geopolitical pressure intensifies Russian policy swing and weakens strategic mutual trust; traditional energy dependence and insufficient coordination in emerging fields limit cooperation depth; legal absence, financial settlement risk and coordination inefficiency continue to threaten sustainability. In order to break through the dilemma, it is necessary to construct a systematic countermeasures framework: strengthen the high-level diplomatic coordination mechanism to jointly resist external intervention; expand the cooperation between LNG production capacity and clean technology, promote the integration of the whole industry chain; improve legal protection and regional supervision, establish local currency settlement channels and crisis response plans. The study shows that through diplomatic coordination, technological innovation and institutional optimization, China and Russia are expected to build a stable and forward-looking energy community, providing a new paradigm for reshaping the Eurasian energy governance pattern, and their experience has important reference value for deepening energy security cooperation among emerging market countries.