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Erica Downs on Chinese Energy

The rapid rise of China as an economic and industrial power has put new demands on Beijing’s energy policy, reports Erica Downs of Brookings. Once self-sufficient in oil, China is now the world’s third-highest oil importer, and energy security is a clear focus of China’s foreign and domestic policies. As Beijing tries to balance administrative and market mechanisms, there is a struggle to create coordinated policy between China’s national oil companies (NOCs) and the central government. China will continue to use its foreign policy weight to secure resources for the NOCs, but the domestic balance between these companies and Beijing remains unclear.