The Energy Cooperation Within The Framework Of Shanghai Cooperation Organization And China's Energy Security

Along with its deepening reform and opening-up as well as its rapid economic growth, China has witnessed an ever-increasing demand for energies, especially for oil and gas. Since China became a net importer of energy in 1993, its oil import has been accelerating, and so has its dependence on foreign markets. Energy issues, especially those related to oil and gas, have already become one of China's paramount concerns, together with its economic development, political stability, social wellbeing, military security, foreign relations and so on. In a word, energy security has stood out as a salient issue in China's overall security strategy.Russia, Kazakhstan, Iran and other SCO members and observer states are growingly important in China's foreign energy cooperation. SCO is a regional cooperation organization founded in 2001 with China as a major initiator and participant, an institution not only important to China, Russia and Central Asian countries in their cooperation on multifarious arenas, but it is also vital to maintaining China's peripheral stability. Since SCO members include energy exporters like Russia, Kazakhstan and Iran as well as energy importers like China and India, all of whom face a volatile international energy situation, energy cooperation within the framework of SCO is drawing more and more attention from academics and national governments.At present, energy cooperation between China and Russia, Kazakhstan, Iran and other SCO members has entered into a new phase and unraveled broad prospects. On that background, the dissertation aims to explore the foundation, current situation and future trends of energy cooperation between China and other member states within the framework of SCO, as well as the significance of such cooperation to China's energy security.The dissertation first examines the current situation and the strategies of the energy development of SCO members with the conclusion that they share a natural foundation and rational willingness for energy cooperation. Put shortly, geographic proximity and a need for diversified energy strategies make it necessary for them to strengthen their energy cooperation.Based on a review of the development of energy cooperation between China and other related SCO members, the dissertation analyzes the characteristics and current problems of such cooperation as well as its importance to China's energy security. With regard to the fact that the challenges faced by China's energy security are mainly rooted in the uneven layout of natural resources as well as the changing world geopolitical situation including the convenience and security of passages of energy, the dissertation basically adopts a geopolitical perspective throughout its analysis.In the end, the dissertation discusses the future prospects of energy cooperation between China and other SCO members, the possibility of an energy community within SCO as well as China's future energy security policies, on which basis policy proposals are given towards related issues.