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region (IMAR) for the Asian Development Bank in 2007. IMAR is the
second largest coal producing region in China and in the use of renewable
energy (solar and wind in particular) to transition from the environmental
problems caused by coal. China needs to provide public policies in its next
5-year plan for sustainable development with the financial resources. The
12th Five-Year Plan started that with over half of 1.5 GW of power from
global solar installation estimates being produced in China (Chan, 2011).
Today, the IMAR is developing such renewable energy resources like wind
and solar while controlling its coal production through advanced coal
technologies that are “cleaner.” Almost every month several megawatts of
wind power are being installed and operated in IMAR (Martinot and Li,
2010).

THE RISE OF CHINA IN THE CONTEXT OF ENERGY
DEPENDENCY

To keep the economic growth rate, China has to make the access to adequate
energy supplies a national priority and to a great extent a national security
priority (Constantin, 2005; Huliq News, 2008 and Li, 2010). China is perhaps
one of the few countries that regard energy security as a vital component
of their national interests. Currently China is “the world’s second largest
consumer and third largest producer of primary energy” (Martinot and Li,
2010). There is no sign that China’s energy consumption will slow down; on
the contrary, it will steadily increase. Thus for energy consumption to keep
pace with its targeted economic growth at a moderate rate of 8%e9%, China
will have to utilize every fuel source available including investment on
renewable energy and the expansion of nuclear power. It is expected that
China’s import of energy resources will increase at a steady rate particularly
from Russian natural gas and liquefied natural gas shipped through Chinese
seaports, which are both difficult options (Clark and Isherwood, 2010).
China’s growing interest in resource-rich regions such as Africa, Latin
America, Middle East, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia is no doubt linked
with its energy security consideration (Brautigam, 2008). How will the rapidly
increasing demand for energy, raw materials, and other natural resources shape
Chinese policies toward its international relations especially with resource-rich
countries? Can China afford depending on global energy markets, either via
exclusive bilateral deals or via direct investment in resource exploration to
sustain its economic growth? What strategies will China use to secure its share
of the global resource market? To find the answers to these questions, it is
important to take an energy security approach to explore the geopolitical,
economic, energy, and environmental implications behind China’ rapidly
growing energy challenges and to understand the Chinese anxiety and concern
with issues of energy security in attempting to search for new sources of
energy supply.