Abstract
With China’s increasing dependence on imports of oil and gas, the Chinese government has been engaged in defining and implementing an energy security policy. This paper examines the implications of this policy for the security interests of its regional neighbours. It is certainly plausible to construct alarming and realist‐driven scenarios whereby China’s quest for energy security leads to competition and regional confrontation. However, this paper argues that the prospect for energy interdependence promoting co‐operation and an improved regional environment is an equally probable outcome. China’s neighbours, and the West more generally, should promote policies that support this more benign outcome.