Introducing advanced energy-saving and environmentally friendly technologies is an urgent priority for China.

　　China is not only a major energy producer and consumer, but also a global leader in the research and development of new energy technologies, making it a heavyweight player in the international energy arena. “ Player ” Countries around the world are paying close attention to China’s global energy strategy. China has since... 2006 Only recently has China become a net importer of crude oil, marking a relatively late start for its global energy strategy. Today, the global energy landscape is undergoing profound transformations, with both energy production and consumption poised for revolutionary adjustments. After more than half a century of international cooperation, China’s global energy strategy has essentially reached maturity, and its strategic objectives have shifted from merely enhancing energy strength to converting that strength into energy power.

　　The material foundation of China’s global energy strategy: continuously strengthening energy power.

　　China has achieved tremendous success in its foreign energy cooperation.

　　First, a complete energy industry system has been established. A complete energy industry system is one that, even when all external connections are severed, can still sustain itself, replicate itself, and upgrade itself autonomously.

　　Second, energy diplomacy has achieved significant breakthroughs. Through high-level government exchanges and various summit meetings, China has signed intergovernmental energy cooperation agreements with numerous countries around the world and concluded framework agreements on energy cooperation with multiple international organizations, laying a solid foundation for China to carry out bilateral and multilateral international energy cooperation.

　　Third, multiple international cooperation zones for oil and gas have been established, securing a substantial volume of equity-based oil and gas resources. China is globally... 33 A country is implementing 100 Multiple international oil and gas cooperation projects have been completed. 5 Large International Oil and Gas Cooperation Zone.

　　Fourth, an external energy trade system has been established, initially forming an import and export trade system centered on oil, liquefied natural gas, natural gas, coal, and uranium. The primary mode of transportation is by tankers, supplemented by pipelines, while the international market employs a combination of various approaches, including spot transactions, futures contracts, and long-term purchase agreements.

　　Fifth, Chinese energy companies have greatly enhanced their international competitiveness. After years of development, China’s state-owned energy enterprises have not only mastered the operational models for international energy cooperation projects but have also accumulated extensive experience in areas such as capital management and contract negotiation. As a result, the returns from overseas investments continue to improve, and their international influence has significantly strengthened.

　　Only when a country’s energy strength has reached a certain level can it wield energy power to influence other nations and possess the capability to implement a global energy strategy. Otherwise, it simply does not qualify to formulate a global energy strategy at all. At present, there are relatively few countries in the world that truly have a global energy strategy—limited mainly to a handful of developed nations as well as a small number of developing countries, such as China.

　　The energy transition and energy revolution are influencing China’s global energy strategy.

　　The third major transformation in the history of human energy civilization, marked by... 2014 Marked by the sharp plunge in oil prices at the end of the year, this transition from fossil fuels to non-fossil energy sources—just like the previous two transitions, from wood to coal and from coal to oil—will fundamentally reshape the global energy order. This round of falling oil prices is different from previous ones. 1986 Year and 2008 The two previous declines this year—this one occurring during the energy transition—are driven by fundamental supply-and-demand dynamics, representing a battle for market share between conventional and unconventional oil and gas resources (shale and tight oil/gas).

　　The global center of energy demand is gradually shifting from developed countries to developing countries, particularly emerging economies, with a concentrated regional distribution in the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. As the world’s largest energy consumer and crude oil importer, China’s enormous consumption power and vast consumer market have strengthened its influence on energy prices, helping to reshape China’s external energy relations.

　　From the perspective of energy sources, coal and conventional oil and gas resources are no longer... “ Standing out alone ” The development of unconventional oil and gas resources—including tight oil and gas, shale oil and gas, and coalbed methane—as well as new energy sources, is thriving. Meanwhile, nuclear energy and various renewable energy technologies—such as solar, wind, and tidal energy—are becoming increasingly mature. From the perspective of energy exploration regions, the focus of onshore oil and gas exploration and development is shifting downward, while offshore oil and gas exploration and development efforts are intensifying. As for the relationship between energy development and the natural environment, energy growth is increasingly constrained by factors such as climate change.

　　At “ The Age of Big Energy ” Energy power is being reconfigured and no longer based on “ Oil rights ” As the sole core, it also includes “ Energy supply rights ” (Referring to a country's absolute power in supplying resources in the global energy market due to its possession of energy resources,) “ Energy Demand Rights ” (the strong market power held by energy-consuming countries due to their enormous energy consumption), “ Energy Technology Rights ” (Referring to the fact that, after entering the Third Industrial Revolution, possessing advanced technology grants one the influence to shape the future direction of global development.) “ Energy Finance Rights ” (Referring to the greater influence on energy prices due to a well-developed financial system and its global financial clout) as well as “ Energy carbon rights ” (Thanks to mastering the methodology for calculating the carbon content of energy products and gaining a foothold in the discourse on carbon politics), and so forth. Different regions and economies around the world, each endowed with distinct energy power advantages, occupy their own positions within the global energy power structure.

　　Energy's “ Strategic buyer ” How does identity exchange for power?

　　The goal of China’s global energy strategy is to transform market power through international energy cooperation into national power that exerts influence over other countries in the context of international politics, thereby enhancing its voice in global resource allocation and even institutional arrangements. This shift—from solely pursuing energy strength to simultaneously pursuing both energy strength and energy power—is a key objective of China’s global energy strategy.

　　China’s global energy strategy aims to promote energy cooperation and advance the energy revolution. China is both a massive energy market with enormous potential and the world’s largest energy producer; it also has... “ Strategic buyer ” China also enjoys resource and technological advantages in certain energy sectors. With its vast territory and numerous neighboring countries, China has several potential strategic corridors connecting Europe and Asia, giving it a distinct transit advantage. By establishing robust international energy partnerships, China can fully leverage these advantages to advance its national political and security interests. At the same time, however, China faces significant energy challenges: the proportion of clean energy used remains too low, energy efficiency is still inadequate, environmental pollution is a pressing issue, and the task of achieving clean environmental conditions and ecologically sustainable development is extremely daunting. Therefore, it is now imperative for China to expand imports of clean energy, introduce advanced energy-saving and environmentally friendly technologies, and develop alternative energy sources to replace oil and coal—thus driving forward the energy revolution.

　　The establishment of a new international energy order that aligns with China’s national interests can only be achieved by providing regional and global public goods through energy diplomacy and energy services. The energy security of countries around the world largely depends on the stability of the international energy market. Ensuring stable energy prices and secure energy transportation not only meets the needs of all countries globally but also creates an urgent demand for international public goods in energy governance—public goods that urgently need to be supplied by countries with strong energy capabilities. By providing these international public goods in energy governance, China can fulfill its commitment as a responsible major power and facilitate its transition from being an energy giant to an energy powerhouse.

　　Strategic arrangements for converting energy strength into energy power.

　　China’s global energy strategy should first take into account: “ Silk Road Economic Belt ” The Central Asian countries and Russia along the route. Developing energy relations with these countries is of great significance for maintaining stability in China’s western and northern border regions, implementing the Western Development Strategy, and advancing the revitalization strategy for the old industrial bases in Northeast China. From an energy-economic perspective, the Central Asian countries and Russia possess abundant reserves of oil, natural gas, and uranium, making them promising potential energy-supply bases for China. Given that China shares land borders with these countries, engaging in energy cooperation not only helps reduce transportation costs but also minimizes security risks.

　　 “ The Belt and Road ” There are significant differences in energy resource endowments among the countries along the route. These differences are not only evident in traditional oil and gas resources but also extend to areas such as superior production capacity, new-energy technologies, energy financing, capabilities in energy infrastructure development, and energy equipment. China possesses exceptionally strong strengths in all these areas.

　　The last century 90 In the late years of the decade, Chinese energy companies began making energy investments across the Eurasian continent. To date, Eurasia has developed an interconnected energy transportation network comprising pipelines that stretch from Russia to Central and Eastern Europe, pipelines between China and Russia, a pipeline linking China to Kazakhstan’s oil fields, a pipeline carrying natural gas from China to Central Asia, and a pipeline transporting oil and gas from China to Myanmar. This network fully integrates the world’s major energy-producing centers with the Asia-Pacific demand hubs—regions experiencing the fastest growth in energy consumption today. “ The Belt and Road ” A regional energy market with a complete industrial chain has emerged along the route. (Author: Xu Qinhua, Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the School of International Relations, Renmin University of China, and Director of the Center for International Energy Strategy Studies)