China in Central Asia: latest investments

March 11 (Reuters) - Energy-hungry China is stepping up its presence in former Soviet Central Asia by handing out billions of dollars in loans, snapping up energy assets and building a gas pipeline from Turkmenistan.
Below is the list of recent Chinese investments.
CENTRAL ASIA GAS PIPELINE
In December 2009, China opened a new pipeline linking a massive gas field in Turkmenistan -- Central Asia's biggest gas producer -- with its Xinjiang region.
The 1,833-km pipeline, starting near a Chinese-developed gas field in eastern Turkmenistan, is expected to reach full annual capacity of 40 billion cubic metres by 2012-13.
KAZAKHMYS LOAN
In December 2009, state-run China Development bank agreed to lend up to $2.7 billion to London-listed Kazakh copper major Kazakhmys (KAZ.L) which plans use the funds to develop new fields.
Kazakhmys plans to use part of the money to develop the major Boschekul deposit near the Chinese border. The deposit is set to produce 100,000 tonnes of copper cathode a year and will start in 2014.
MANGISTAUMUNAIGAS
In November 2009, China's state-owned CNPC tied up with Kazakh state firm KazMunaiGas in a $2.6 billion deal to jointly take over Kazakh oil producer MangistauMunaiGas.
In addition, China gave Kazakhstan $10 billion in loans to finance various projects.
TURKMENISTAN LOAN
In mid-2009, China agreed to issue a $4 billion loan to Turkmenistan to develop its largest gas field, South Iolotan.
South Iolotan contains between 4 trillion and 14 trillion cubic metres of gas, Britain's Gaffney, Cline and Associates said in 2008 -- making it one of the world's top 5 deposits.
KAZMUNAIGAS E&P
In October 2009, a Chinese investment company bought 11 percent in Kazakh oil major KazMunaiGas E&P for $939 million.
KazMunaiGas E&P, the listed subsidiary of KazMunaiGas, is one of Kazakhstan's top three oil producers. The total volume of its proved and probable reserves, as at the end of 2008, is 241 million tonnes (1.8 billion barrels).
URANIUM JV
In April 2009, China Guangdong Nuclear Power Co (CGNPC) said it would develop a uranium deposit in Kazakhstan with reserves of 40,000 tonnes together with Kazakh state firm Kazatomprom.
China plans to import a total of 24,200 tonnes of Kazakh uranium between 2008 and 2012, it said.
TAJIKISTAN INFRASTRUCTURE
Last year, China pledged over $1 billion in investments to build power plants, electricity grids and roads in Tajikistan.
Tajikistan is the poorest country in Central Asia and its economy is still in ruins after a civil war in the 1990s.
KYRGYZSTAN INVESTMENTS
In January 2010, China signed a deal with Kyrgyzstan to build a $342 million electric grid link and said it considered taking part in a project to build a railway to Europe across Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. (Writing by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall) (For a story on China in Central Asia see [ID:nLDE6291J7]