The energy situation in China

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The Energy Situation in China

In China we see a country with a very large population that is still growing. This large population is one that invariably demands high levels of energy. The issue for China is how to meet these energy demands. Unlike some countries in places like the Middle East, it does not have abundant supplies of oil. This said, coal is something that China does have an awful lot of, with them being the largest prouder of coal worldwide. Despite the huge amount they consume, they are able to stay on top of this as the graph and map below show: 

There is enough coal for China to be a net exporter. The same can be said with gas; China appears to have enough of this for the time being too. Though the scale of their resources is not the same for gas, they are able to keep up with consumption and are a net exporter. The amount of energy being produced by China is frowned upon by the West since much of it is heavily pollutant; China claim they have the right to use the resources they have.

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As for oil, production cannot keep up with consumption. Now close to half is coming from other sources with it predicted to be importing half of its oil by around 2010. China became a net exporter of oil in 1993 and it currently gets 58% of imports from the Middle East, though it is now looking more at the likes of Sudan and Venezuela. Before this happened China was able to get enough energy from the like of the Daqing oil fields in Manchuria which are now unable to supply nearly enough for the country. This is importing of oil ...

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