China not a threat to world energy security

Either in terms of energy self reliance, per capita energy consumption or oil consumption, China is not a threat to world energy security, said Xiong Guangkai, chairman of the China Institute for International Strategic Studies (CIISS), in his article published on the Study Times, a newspaper sponsored by the Party School of the CPC Central Committee.

Xiong recognized that China's growing energy consumption and its normal activities in pursuit of multiple oil resources in Asia Pacific, Africa and Latin America have raised great concerns of the international community.

Some people with ulterior motives even stir up agitation at the so-called ˇ°China energy threatˇ±. Facts have proved that doubts and condemnation on China's energy development are groundless.

Xiong pointed out in his article that China is not only a big energy consumer, but also a major energy producer.

According to official statistics, in 2005, China's primary energy consumption totaled 2.22 billion tons of standard coal equivalent and the total output of primary energy reached 2.06 billion tons of standard coal equivalent. China's self reliance on energy reached 93 percent, higher than the 70 percent of the western world's average.

The per capita consumption was about 0.9 tons of oil equivalent, 56 percent of the world average and 11.5 percent of the United States.

In terms of oil consumption, even in 2004, a quite demanding year, China's oil consumption was 310 million tons, accounting for 8 percent of the world total. The United States consumed 938 million tons of oil, taking up 25 percent of the world total, tripling China's consumption.

In the same year, China's net oil imports were less than 149 million tons, making up 6 percent of the world total. The United States imported 590 million tons of oil, a quadruple of China' s imports.

Therefore, China does not pose any threat to world energy security.

By People's Daily Online