This article presents a comprehensive analysis of the energy potential of the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China in Central Asia in the context of regional policy and energy security. The region is viewed as a resource base, transit hub, and space for institutional coordination, where energy decisions are linked to issues of sovereignty, infrastructure connectivity, and interstate regulation. The theoretical basis of the study is the concept of regional security complexes, which allows for an analysis of energy through the prism of mutual vulnerability, network integration, and the sustainability of transit regimes. Methodologically, the work combines a comparative political and economic analysis, an analysis of strategic documents of the Russian Federation and China, and a case study approach based on Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. The empirical base includes materials from the EAEU and SCO, data from the International Energy Agency, the US Energy Information Administration, UNCTAD, and corporate reporting. Based on a comparison of Kazakhstan's oil transit, Uzbekistan's gas balance, and the electricity flows of hydro-dependent countries, the conclusion is substantiated that the sustainability of a regional energy system is determined by the quality of interstate procedures, the compatibility of infrastructure, and the ability to adapt to external constraints, technological dependencies, and climate risks.
Central Asia, energy security, energy potential, regional policy, Russia, China, EAEU, SCO