Wang Tao
{
"authors": [
"Wang Tao"
],
"type": "legacyinthemedia",
"centerAffiliationAll": "",
"centers": [
"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"Carnegie China"
],
"collections": [],
"englishNewsletterAll": "",
"nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
"primaryCenter": "Carnegie China",
"programAffiliation": "",
"programs": [],
"projects": [],
"regions": [],
"topics": [
"Security"
]
}Source: Getty
Energy Security in the South China Sea
Although the South China Sea offers the potential to alleviate China's dependence on foreign oil, maintaining peace in the region is more critical to China’s energy security than the exploitation of the resources in the region.
Source: CCTV
Speaking to CCTV, Carnegie’s Wang Tao discussed the regional sensitivities surrounding the South China Sea and the area's potential to alleviate China’s dependence on foreign oil imports. He also outlined some of the serious regional and environmental concerns raised by the South China Sea.
Emphasizing the environmental risks of deep sea oil exploration in the South China Sea and the strategic importance of the region to China, Wang said that the priority for Beijing should be developing sophisticated oil extraction technologies to produce oil as safely as possible. He added that since this area is critical to the transport of China’s global oil imports, maintaining peace in the South China Sea is more important to China’s oil supply and energy security than the exploitation of the resources in the region.
About the Author
Former Nonresident Scholar, Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy
Wang Tao was a nonresident scholar in the Energy and Climate Program based at the Carnegie–Tsinghua Center for Global Policy.
- Xi’s Global Leadership Ambitions in the Trump EraArticle
- How the Paris Conference Is Driving China’s Gas and Oil ReformsIn The Media
Wang Tao, Yang Yifang
Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
More Work from Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center
- Why Has Kazakhstan Started Deporting Political Activists?Commentary
The current U.S. indifference to human rights means Astana no longer has any incentive to refuse extradition requests from its authoritarian neighbors—including Russia.
Temur Umarov
- Why Are China and Russia Not Rushing to Help Iran?Commentary
Most of Moscow’s military resources are tied up in Ukraine, while Beijing’s foreign policy prioritizes economic ties and avoids direct conflict.
Alexander Gabuev, Temur Umarov
- How Far Can Russian Arms Help Iran?Commentary
Arms supplies from Russia to Iran will not only continue, but could grow significantly if Russia gets the opportunity.
Nikita Smagin
- Can the Disparate Threads of Ukraine Peace Talks Be Woven Together?Commentary
Putin is stalling, waiting for a breakthrough on the front lines or a grand bargain in which Trump will give him something more than Ukraine in exchange for concessions on Ukraine. And if that doesn’t happen, the conflict could be expanded beyond Ukraine.
Alexander Baunov
- Once Neutral on the Ukraine War, Arab States Increasingly Favor MoscowCommentary
Disillusioned with the West over Gaza, Arab countries are not only trading more with Russia; they are also more willing to criticize Kyiv.
Ruslan Suleymanov