Chinas reliance on coal epitomizes the central single energy dilemma by being dependent upon oil heavily over the last decade. China became a net coal importer in 2009. They have multiple sources that supplies the country in proximity; specifically, Australia, Russia, and Indonesia to name a couple. China is the second largest economy and destination of foreign direct investment (Sarah Ladislaw, 2014). China due to the heavy growth must use more energy in order to support the growth. Another source stated that China also imported 5.4 million barrels per day of crude and 706 billion cubic feet of natural gas in 2012 alone. This contributes to the single energy dilemma because China seemingly is dependent on imported oils due to the amount of growth that they are experiencing.
In my personal assessment it is likely that China can move away from and off goal due to the development and interest in shale gas which is an alternative to coal. China used 10.7 million barrels of oil per day in 2013 which accounted for one third of global oil demand. Due to shale gas being developed China is rethinking their relationships with the Middle East and North Africa. Their dependence on Middle East supplies continues to grow so there needs to be another option for a country who grows ten percent per decade. There are other avenues other than the Middle East. For example, China has been looking into resources closer to home such as central Asian countries for oil. In conclusion China can move away from and off coal with the development of great relationships closer to home.
Sarah Ladislaw, M. L. (2014). New Energy, New Geopolitics.
Bradshaw, M. (2013). Global Energy Dilemmas.
