The rapid growth in Chinese energy demand has had a great impact on world oil markets and prices. But more recently, experts show that the Chinese enormous drive to increase natural gas use has determined important regional and global impacts on gas and LNG markets. In this way, due to the increasing demand for energy security, China is growing as a regional and global power, experts reveal. In this context, Chinese policies influence not only the country’s domestic trajectory, but regional and global outlooks for energy supply availability, environmental security, and geopolitics. This situation stresses the character of the current interconnected and global framework for energy and environmental security. These elements are boosting the importance of China’s strategic and economic relationships especially with major producer countries. Data indicate that almost all of China’s incremental oil consumption will need to be imported. Experts argue that this growth will lead China to increase its presence abroad. This situation will further accelerate the country’s role as a regional and global power, intensifying its diplomatic issues and challenges, experts add. Chinese growing dependence on maritime oil supplies will be an additional “multiplier” encouraging Chinese leaders’ interests in territorial claims in the South and East China Seas. This fact will also increase attention to issues related to the control of Asia’s vital energy sea lanes, experts stress. These issues are already highly contentious: this situation will increase debates and questions for policymakers across the Asia-Pacific. China is trying to raise its domestic gas consumption, but this strategy will mean depending on imports for roughly one-half of its gas needs. Experts outline that this policy is driving China to expand its energy reach across Central Asia and Russia through large pipeline deals linking China to these suppliers for the long term. In this context, experts suggest that gas represents a crucial element that is driving and reinforcing China’s growing regional power and influence. The gLAWcal Team POREEN project Friday, 21 November 2014 (Source: NBR)