Abstract
China is the world’s largest crude oil consumer, having imported around 10.2 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil in 2019 (Zhou 2019 and Downs et al. 2020). Energy resources supply insecurity in China has long been associated with its renewed partnership with resources-rich countries in Africa. This chapter discusses key factors driving China expansion in Africa’s resources sectors and focuses on China’s critical needs for overseas energy resources especially iron ore, coal and oil because they are the most important resources which China imports from Africa. It focuses on the geopolitics of China’s approaches to energy security and the role of Chinese National Oil Companies in securing energy (NOCs). I sheds light on China’s military build-up and Western worries through the lens of political realism. I argue that China’s need for Africa energy resources is a key portion of its relationship with states in Africa. This is despite the fact that Africa itself does not represent the only source for China’s oil imports but it plays an important role in Beijing calculation of its need for resources.
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Lisimba, A.F. (2020). China’s Energy Security: How Much Africa Matters to China. In: China’s Trade and Investment in Africa. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-9573-8_7
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