Asian security and China's energy needs

With China's increasing dependence on imports of oil and gas,the Chinese government has been engaged in defining and implementingan energy security policy. This paper examines the implicationsof this policy for the security interests of its regional neighbours.It is certainly plausible to construct alarming and realist-drivenscenarios whereby China's quest for energy security leads tocompetition and regional confrontation. However, this paperargues that the prospect for energy interdependence promotingco-operation and an improved regional environment is an equallyprobable outcome. China's neighbours, and the West more generally,should promote policies that support this more benign outcome.