The China Syndrome

Anyone interested in the changing geo-political landscape and China’s growing influence on oil politics should listen to Tom Mangold’s second programme in his excellent series, “Driven By Oil”. The programme explores how the emergence of a thirsty China will reshape our world over the coming decades. It will lead, in all probability, to increased conflict between the US and China, and changing power structures in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.
Dr. Gal Luft from the Institute for Analysis of Global Security tells the programme that “the entry of China into the global oil market is a game change. That means that China will go into the same places that the US is going to look for oil and occasionally thse two superpowers will step on each others toes and add a lot of tension and conflict into the system.”
“Friction is inevitable” an ex-manager from the National Iranian Oil Company tells the programme. “The main problem China has is to secure its energy supplies. The Chinese are prepared to pay almost any price to have their energy. I cannot see this question being resolved peacefully.”