Abstract
The article assesses the relative dependence of China (as a consumer) on seaborne oil flows between the present and 2025. The authors argue that China’s oil security concerns will help shape its military and policy priorities fundamentally, with significant implications for the U.S. Navy in coming years. The article examines Chinese views of how pipelines might enhance China’s oil security. The author assesses the potential for, and utility and disadvantages of, a pipeline-centric oil-security strategy. The article notes that some of China’s proposed overland oil pipelines, such as the ones through Burma and Pakistan, make much less economic and security sense than the use of seaborne delivery of hydrocarbons. Furthermore, pipelines are far more expensive than tankers in terms of what must be spent to move a given volume of oil a given distance. The authors conclude by suggesting how China might enhance its energy security at lower financial and diplomatic cost.
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