Legal System Of China’s Participation In International Energy Cooperation

Energy has been paid great attention by many nations since it is not only thenecessity of the industry, but the lifeblood of national economy and guarantee tonational safety as well. With the rapid development of industrialization, marketizationand globalization, the issue of energy and its security has become increasinglyglobalized in recent years. Amongst the world attention to energy issues, it hasbecome the consideration mixture of marketing, development, state power and safetyas well as climate change and environment. The energy issue has upgraded to a matterof global well-being, the future and destiny of nations. All main powers are nowconsidering solving the energy problems as the most important job for securitystrategies.For quite a long time before the Second World War, the world economy hasdeveloped rapidly owing to the easy access to energy. During that period, there werebarely any conflicts among the countries as a result of energy competition. However,being scarce and non-renewable, petroleum resource has gradually transformed intothe most precious strategic commodity. With high-speed development of the worldeconomy, energy demand increases dramatically. After World War II, petroleumresources became more and more scarce, more and more important, there graduallywas a global power imbalance between the producer and consumer of energyresources. Until the first oil crisis, the world is still not aware of the importance ofinternational cooperation in energy. The consumption countries around the worldsuffered heavy losses from the oil crisis. It eventually occurred to them that the onlyway to deal with the oil crisis is to strengthen international cooperation. After severalrounds of soaring in oil prices, there existed a common interest goal both in betweenworld oil consumption countries and oil consumption and output countries. Themassive international energy cooperation finally launched. The current international energy cooperation mechanism consists of two parts: international and regional. Theformer refers to the organizations as Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries(OPEC) and the oil consumption organizations set up by the western developedcountries on behalf of the International Energy Agency (IEA); the latter is mainly therepresentatives of the European Union and the North American Free Trade Area andtheir respective energy cooperation mechanism. China, as a big global energyconsumption country, is so dependent on imported oil due to her own scarce energyresources, and also facing her energy safety problem. In modern world, energy is aglobal issue. No country alone is capable of coping with the possible unrest in theworld energy market. China should be fully aware of the importance of internationalcooperation in energy, and actively participate in the course of global energycooperation. It would provide China with theoretical guidance to participate ininternational energy cooperation if China would make a further study of the currentinternational energy cooperation legal system, and explore the reference andenlightenment of these systems, which is of significance to protect her energysecurity in the long term.This thesis is mainly divided into three chapters on legal system of China’sparticipation in international energy cooperation:The introduction briefly introduces the international community in the field ofenergy from “act on one’s own free will" to gradually begin to seek cooperation in thehistory, and also the background and source of the topic.The first chapter is mainly talked about an analysis of legal system on majorinternational energy cooperation organization both globally and regionally; adiscussion about legal experience in the current international energy cooperationorganization and the major legal issues; and a summary of enlightenment andexperience in the legal system for Chinese participation in international energycooperation.The second chapter is the introduction of the current energy status in China, thenecessity of China’s participating in the international energy cooperation as well asChina’s involvement in the international energy cooperation, which helps Chinadevelop energy cooperation strategy according to her own situation in the future. The third chapter discussed the construction of the legal system of China’sparticipation in international energy cooperation. China should actively promoteregional energy cooperation organization on the basis of perfecting its own energylaw system, but also strengthen the cooperation with the current energy internationalorganizations.The international energy market is a whole body. Energy security is not an issueto one state. Any country, whether is energy producing or consumption country, cannot independently ensure its energy security as a result of the lack of effectiveinternational cooperation. Energy cooperation is not a" zero-sum game", excessivecompetition can only lead to destruction to both sides; the only way to ensure therealization of maximized benefit is to cooperate effectively among nations. Being abig rising oil consumption country, China must enhance the sense of cooperation,strengthen international cooperation in the field of energy. In the process ofcollaboration of the energy, China must strengthen the consciousness of law, not limitto the cooperation in political dialogue level, but actively promote the legal systemconstruction of energy cooperation.