71
Uighur minority, who have connections with their 500,000 kin spread throughout
the countries to its west, with 200,000 of these residing in Kazakhstan alone. China
is especially skeptical about the Uighur’s nationalist foundation in both Kyrgyzstan
and Kazakhstan (Bluth 2014:58).
China Energy Profile
China’s huge economic growth over the last two decades, and the corresponding
increases in energy demands which have outstripped domestic production capacity
in the country, have forced it to devote more attention to energy security in terms of
economics and foreign policy. Any ruptures in energy flow would prove a catastrophe for China’s growing economy, with a decline in diplomatic strength following
accordingly. China’s rapid economic growth has made it the world’s second most
voracious consumer of energy. Secondly, China is the world’s largest producer and
consumer of coal, becoming the second-largest consumer of oil in 2003, and the
second-largest producer of electricity. China is the fifth-largest producer of oil, but
due to competitively high consumption rates, became an importer as of 1993. By
2016, China had begun importing about 65% of its oil from foreign sources, that
year producing 181 million tons of oil and 121 bcm of natural gas, while consuming
313 million tons of oil and importing 64 bcm natural gas (www.irna.ir 2017a, b).
China Energy Policy
China’s energy security policies focus on three factors; namely, “reliability of supply, affordability, and friendliness of the environment.” Beijing does its utmost to
encourage its oil companies to access ownership of energy supplies and infrastructure around the world—sometimes to an economically irrational degree. The longterm logic behind such nonmarket-driven policies is to prevent Chinese dependence
on the international market. If continued extensively however this approach to
energy security could place more of a strain on China’s economic growth. The
growth rate of energy use has already outpaced GDP growth (Shaffer 2009:145).
China’s short-term energy strategy is to tap affordable energy resources. China is
interested in procuring energy resources from risky energy markets as well as countries which have no strong economic or political ties to the US. The development of
Sino-Iranian energy relations during the sanctions era attests well to the active promotion of this strategy. During this time, importing oil from Iran carried a significant
amount of political and security risks for China. In the short term, the supply meant
cheaper energy with more price risk. China’s long-term energy strategy is (1) The
diversification of energy types, (2) The diversification of energy sources, and (3)
The diversification of regions for Chinese investment. By implementing policies
China
Uighur minority, who have connections with their 500,000 kin spread throughout
the countries to its west, with 200,000 of these residing in Kazakhstan alone. China
is especially skeptical about the Uighur’s nationalist foundation in both Kyrgyzstan
and Kazakhstan (Bluth 2014:58).
China Energy Profile
China’s huge economic growth over the last two decades, and the corresponding
increases in energy demands which have outstripped domestic production capacity
in the country, have forced it to devote more attention to energy security in terms of
economics and foreign policy. Any ruptures in energy flow would prove a catastrophe for China’s growing economy, with a decline in diplomatic strength following
accordingly. China’s rapid economic growth has made it the world’s second most
voracious consumer of energy. Secondly, China is the world’s largest producer and
consumer of coal, becoming the second-largest consumer of oil in 2003, and the
second-largest producer of electricity. China is the fifth-largest producer of oil, but
due to competitively high consumption rates, became an importer as of 1993. By
2016, China had begun importing about 65% of its oil from foreign sources, that
year producing 181 million tons of oil and 121 bcm of natural gas, while consuming
313 million tons of oil and importing 64 bcm natural gas (www.irna.ir 2017a, b).
China Energy Policy
China’s energy security policies focus on three factors; namely, “reliability of supply, affordability, and friendliness of the environment.” Beijing does its utmost to
encourage its oil companies to access ownership of energy supplies and infrastructure around the world—sometimes to an economically irrational degree. The longterm logic behind such nonmarket-driven policies is to prevent Chinese dependence
on the international market. If continued extensively however this approach to
energy security could place more of a strain on China’s economic growth. The
growth rate of energy use has already outpaced GDP growth (Shaffer 2009:145).
China’s short-term energy strategy is to tap affordable energy resources. China is
interested in procuring energy resources from risky energy markets as well as countries which have no strong economic or political ties to the US. The development of
Sino-Iranian energy relations during the sanctions era attests well to the active promotion of this strategy. During this time, importing oil from Iran carried a significant
amount of political and security risks for China. In the short term, the supply meant
cheaper energy with more price risk. China’s long-term energy strategy is (1) The
diversification of energy types, (2) The diversification of energy sources, and (3)
The diversification of regions for Chinese investment. By implementing policies
China