Energy Security: Perceptions and Realities

This chapter provides an overview of the Chinese government’s perceptions of energy security and the underlying causes that help shape its view. To account for China’s approach to energy security, first and foremost is to learn how China perceives energy security, which to a large extent has constituted the basis for its energy policy-making. This perception has not only pertained to the ideologies of the Chinese leadership but also derived from the energy realities that China has confronted. These realities contain a variety of direct and indirect factors, among which indigenous energy endowments and supply–demand equilibrium particularly stand out. Moreover, as the Chinese economy has been more integrated with the world economy and China has become more dependent on energy imports, the global energy market also has profound impact on China’s perception of energy security. Hence, with changes in the leadership and the realities, China’s perception of energy security has been evolving, rather than staying intact.