| Summary: | 碩士 === 淡江大學 === 中國大陸研究所碩士在職專班 === 102 === For China, to develop an oil diplomatic strategy with Chinese characteristics is a crucial task in framing its future foreign policy. Politically, Chinese oil diplomatic strategy has not only transformed from ideology to the path of peaceful development and independence and autonomy, but also made policy adjustment in pursuing its goals of economic benefit. Economically, the substantial expansion of Chinese economic scale after its reform and opening-up policy is the determining factor contributing to the steep increase of oil consumption. From the aspect of regional international relations, China, due to the geopolitics and strategy such as the interactions with Russia and the competition of oil resource with Japan, has started to acknowledge the importance of oil strategy.
Chinese mass oil consumption and its competitive activities have caused serious concern of Western countries, including the US. China, in order to conform to its national interests and its so-called ‘peaceful rise’, needs to take the above-mentioned factors into considerations whilst mapping out the oil diplomatic strategy. Besides, given the limits to its domestic oil production, China, without doubt, has to face political, diplomatic, economic, and military risks while procuring and striving for crude oil from abroad. Under certain dire circumstances, for examples, the turmoil in oil-producing region that disrupts oil transport, or oil price forced up by oil-producing countries, or embargo on oil export to China, or channel blockaded by counterparts in the wartime, Chinese domestic economy which relies heavily on crude oil will be crippled instantly, or the worst, Chinese regime is extremely likely to collapse. In addition, China, if compared to strategic petroleum reserve of developed countries, is unable to manage sudden oil crisis and naval blockade. For this reason, China devotes efforts in building up strategic petroleum reserve in recent years.
The fact that the Gulf region is China’s main oil import resource is not going to change in the 21st Century. Chinese energy expert points out, in order to penetrate Mid-East markets, China needs to operate flexibly without thinking of gain or loss, it also needs to take Chinese oil, natural gas and economy into consideration, and to create complementary and multi-win situations with other nations. China, however, still needs to consider the possible influences and results while competing for oil resources. Selling a great deal of military weapons to countries in turbulent Middle East will destabilize the region for instance. China will keep focusing its strategy on trade or economic development since such a strategy is less likely to damage its relation with the US. The adjustment of Chinese current oil diplomatic strategy is an ongoing process, therefore, whether the competition between China and the US will lead to their confrontation, and then further influence Sino-US relation can be the observation point for further research.
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