China turns to central Asia as US blockade in Hormuz chokes global energy flows

As China looks to Central Asia for more energy supplies to offset shipping disruptions amid the Iran war, Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang will travel to Turkmenistan to visit local gas fields and to attend a bilateral cooperation meeting.Ding, who is China’s top-ranking vice-premier, will kick off his three-day visit on Wednesday by attending the groundbreaking ceremony for the fourth phase of the Galkynysh gas field as President Xi Jinping’s special representative, Xinhua reported.Ding will also co-chair the seventh meeting of the bilateral cooperation committee with Turkmenistan, which is a major gas supplier to China via a pipeline that runs from Central Asia.