Chris Zambelis
THE NEW LENS - 2017/03/08
While the wider Middle East remains convulsed by conflict and
instability, China’s influence and interests in the region continue to
expand in a familiar pattern. As the world’s largest consumer of energy
overall and the world’s second biggest importer of crude oil, China’s
Middle East policy continues to be driven by the need for secure sources
of energy. The China National United Oil Company (Chinaoil), a joint
subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and Sinochem
Corporation, alone purchased 7 million barrels of Middle East crude in
January 2017 (Yibada.com
[New York City], Feb. 5). Unsurprisingly, China’s closest partner in
the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is home to roughly 18 percent of the
world’s total oil reserves and is the world’s top exporter of crude. The
two countries’ relationship was solidified in 2009 when China surpassed
the United States as the top destination of Saudi oil exports. Although
Russia overtook Saudi Arabia as China’s number one supplier of oil in
2016, China’s reliance on Saudi oil will remain central to its energy
security calculus (Gulf Business [Dubai], Jan. 17).
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