Study on Security of China''s Oil Transportation

• Main Authors: Tsan-Jung Chiu, 邱燦榮
• Other Authors: Ming-Yen Tsai
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2010
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/78970111477165757431

碩士 === 國立中興大學 === 國際政治研究所 === 98 === China has become a net importer of crude oil since 1993, and its demand for oil is steadily on the increase in last decade. Since the situation that the production of the PRC’s owns sources is quite limited, China actively strides out of mainland and looks for the overseas oil sources, and it has become the only choice for the tactics of energy security. Accordingly, China adopts numerous specific tricks, such as military exchanges, reciprocal trade,cooperatively exploiting nature resources and power diplomacy, to consolidate the relations with those oil-producing countries.In the meanwhile, to obtain the sufficient oil supply。 Although China is committed to decentralizing sources of oil imports, but its importing sources are focusing on the Middle East and Africa. Its major means of transport are through sea transport. The shipping route from Africa and the Middle East to the Northeast Asia is not safe for China. In addition to the well-known existence of pirates and terrorists in the Malacca Strait, China must face the geopolitical risks, including the military threats of the United States, Japan, and India, as well as marine interests and the sovereignty disputes with neighboring countries in the South China Sea, Taiwan Straits, East China Sea. Based on the complexity of the risk of maritime oil transport routes, China is using military, diplomatic and economic strategies and measures to respond. In the military aspect, besides of using its growing submarine forces and the new surface ships to safeguard the security of their transport routes, the development of Navy aircraft carriers and the shifting focus of the Navy to the south means that China is expected to develop "ocean navy" to intervene in the affairs of the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean, so as to safeguard the security of oil shipping routes. In the diplomatic aspect, China is taking "shelving the sovereignty and seeking common development" means to reduce the risk of regional conflicts. In the economic aspect, China is looking for ways to intervene on the ASEAN Free Trade Area and on energy cooperation, as well as on cooperation and development of ports, railways and pipelines with regional countries to avoid the risk of maritime transport.