China and India

5 Case study I

The Middle East

China's and India's deepening energy engagement with the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia over the past decade is based on the premise that one of the most critical challenges facing their rapidly industrializing and developing economies is the need to diversify and increase supplies of energy resources. With the expectation of growing future dependence on oil and gas imports, both Chinese and Indian NOCs have sought interests in exploration projects in those areas where equity oil and gas production has grown exponentially since the late 1990s.

5.1 The importance of the Middle East

The Middle East and the Persian Gulf have remained at the center of the global oil supply system because the region is home ...