Posted on 09/17/2004 2:42:24 PM PDT by Bald Eagle777
Washington, DC, Sep. 16 (UPI) -- Saudi Arabia, long the largest supplier of oil to the United States, has cut U.S. sales dramatically and may soon no longer be among the top five largest U.S. suppliers. The Saudi kingdom's new largest customer is China. "Saudi sales to the U.S. have fallen off the table," James Placke, a senior associate at Cambridge Energy Research Associates ..... Saudi oil sales to the United States peaked in 2002 at 1.7 million barrels per day but had fallen to 1.1 million barrels per day in May....Placke said at a Washington forum. Placke, who has monitored Saudi oil sales for decades, ..The Saudis have basically played the role of the central bank," Gause said. "We're at a point where there's precious little surplus capacity." A large source of the reduction in the world's excess capacity has been China's burgeoning appetite for oil. Placke said China recently surpassed Japan in its oil consumption and is currently the world's second-largest oil market behind the United States. Lippman said, however, that building consumption might be only part of the reason Saudi Arabia is turning its attention to China. "It seems to me that there is a certain logic for the Saudis.. need a good relationship with a country that is a permanent member of the (U.N.) Security Council, is a strong a growing market for our oil, is a nuclear power and, by the way, is untainted by having invaded any Arab countries," Lippman said. Placke said he considers the Saudi shift "part of the rebalancing of relationships around the world after the Cold War."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
I have been preaching this for years. It is happening in front of our eyes right now. Can anyone take a guess as to where this is ultimately headed? Watch for more breaking news in the months and years ahead. The Chinese are clearly ratcheting up their oil interests in the Middle East, regardless of other energy sources that are being developed (at varying rates). This cutting-edge article alludes to some of the issues. There are political ramifications to this move and every party will play to their own interests. If a significant oil shortage develops, or even if the supply side remains constant, and political factors are predominant, China will have more political and economic options at its command. (I believe that they have a broader strategy in place also..)
I would interpret this move by the Chinese (and Saudis) in the context of other factors, including, but not limited to: 1) the leverage offered by the Chinese vote in the Security Council at the UN (which could be beneficial to Saudi and Arab interests also); 2) bulwark against US interests and influence in the region (which could also be beneficial to Saudi interests); 3) opportunity to expand Chinese business and economic interests in the region (oil and non-oil); 4) a chance to expand Chinese diplomacy and influence in the region; 5) a chance to bring about opportunities for Chinese military "assistance" and influence in the region; 6) oil in and of itself being a powerful strategic commodity to exercise influence over in world markets (again, more leverage). This article does not highlight the Chinese Geoplitical problem as a stand-alone issue, yet this article does reference the China angle. This angle bears more research and scrutiny.
I'm starting to take seriously the calls for development of a hydrogen-powered car. I'd love to end the nation's dependence on Saudi oil.
As I understand it, the US hasn't built a new refinery in thirty years. We can't refine the oil we are getting. Our problems are with our own Gaia crowd. America is her worst energy enemy.
If at first you don't succeed ...
Oh, okay. Then we don't need anymore to defend Saudi from the eevilll ones that threaten their kingdom.
One thing at a time.
but how can this be.. michael moore told me the bushies are in bed with the saudis.... (sarcasm off)
Well....that secret alliance between Bush and the Saudis that Fat Boy Moore and Moveon.org is screeching about seems to have come apart.
Fuel cells. We can do it. < /little engine that could >
Solution: Tightly ration energy to the Gaians only. Then they can feel good about themselves while we solve the problem.
The other thing is that the US wasn't the main customer for Saudi oil anyway. So now we have dropped from #4 to #6 or something.
Oh boo-hoo. I love this manipulative game. Why don't they just come right out and say they are supporting much of the worst terrorism in the world?
And btw, how about we bulldoze all the Saudi Academies in our country, and soon? The ones teaching hate for Jews and anti-American sentiments.
It does not make one bit of a difference of who the Saudis sell oil to. Oil is a commodity in a world market, and sales to the Chinese will decrease the quantity that the Chinese purchase from other sources.
Hmmm, lets see. We can pull about a million barrels a day from that tiny piece of ANWR. We get 1.1 million bbls from SA. If we open ANWR and kick up production off the California coast, we wouldn't need SA at all.
Sounds like a plan to me.
Jeff Head might be right on this one.
They like Chinese more? What a “surprise”!
You all miss the fact that were it not for the US importing Chinese goods, etc they (the Chinese) could solved their energy needs with whale oil. We've created a nation that is jostling us for world oil supplies.
Bush needs to give the one fingered salute to the enviors and declare.
To insure a sound environmental policy to protect nature does not mean we have to commit national energy suicide.
He should open up all areas to exploration and drilling for gas and oil, open the way for more use of coal. Restart the (over one billion already invested back in the 80's) oil shale project in the Colorado, Utah and Wyoming locales. The US has one of the largest petroleum reserves in the world located in the Parachute Colorado oil shale deposits alone. Oil shale would be very high tech intensive, but it remains a viable alternative if we have the will and fortitude to bring it to fruition.
If we are going to be paying forty dollars plus a barrel for oil, it should damn well be paid to American companies, employing American workers and benefiting the American economy, not to some terrorist supporting Arab American hating kingdom of shiite heads.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.