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China’s rapid growth over the past twenty years has sparked a surging demand for energy. The Chinese made strenuous efforts to exploit their domestic resources; but growth eventually overwhelmed them and led to rising oil imports. Within the next decade, China’s oil imports are expected to grow rapidly and outstrip those of many OECD countries. Gas imports are also projected to increase as China switches to cleaner energy.
Aware of its growing dependency on imported energy, China seeks a more prominent position in the existing global system of energy production and trade. Where it can, China seeks to open new connections in global markets. Increasingly, external energy policies are entwined in foreign economic and security policies in general.
This book documents how China is creating energy relationships across the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Russia, Central Asia and Africa. The Chinese are also intensively studying how the rest of the world operates in the energy sector. The position of this vast nation in the global energy markets can only grow stronger as time passes. Trade and investment are the main elements in China’s energy policy toward the rest of the world today. Before long, the Chinese may seek to participate in the actual management of overseas energy facilities.
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