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China’s Fossil Fuel Diplomacy
19FortyFive ^ | 12/16/2020 | Kevin Brown

Posted on 12/17/2020 9:40:53 AM PST by Onthebrink

The global spread of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic sent international fossil fuel futures to record lows by March of this year. The virus also amplified tensions between Saudi Arabia and Russia over production cuts. With the two producers unable to reach an agreement, petroleum prices went into a tailspin. The crude oil downturn has created collateral damage from the United States through Latin America onwards into the Middle East.

Some accounts noted that China appears to be the biggest winner of the price war. However, this does not fully explain why China is succeeding in manipulating global fossil fuel markets despite being weak in oil and gas resources. Instead, though a long-held position as an essential destination country for many fossil fuel products, Beijing utilizes its role as a pivotal buyer to influence producers’ policy stances. Energy commodities have become an understated part of the Chinese geopolitical strategy where the People’s Republic receives energy resources in exchange for furnishing investment and technological expertise. This strategy also proves that fossil fuels will remain the primary energy driver for the world’s largest economy despite the talk of China’s embrace of green technologies. If anything, China’s consumption of fossil fuels could prove more decisive in the future.

China’s Strategy

China’s focus on fossil fuels plays into the post-Mao Chinese Communist Party (CCP) economic thought via the Developmental State” concept. Often, the state must pursue rapid industrialization, often promoting industries where it has no comparative advantage.

(Excerpt) Read more at 19fortyfive.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; Politics
KEYWORDS: china; fossilfuels; naturalresources

1 posted on 12/17/2020 9:40:53 AM PST by Onthebrink
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To: Onthebrink

Now that the former USA will become the Third Special Administrative District of the Peoples Republic of China, they will get an exclusive on all fossil fuels produced by the new District.


2 posted on 12/17/2020 9:45:34 AM PST by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
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To: PIF

Not all warfare is kinetic. Make no mistake: China is AT WAR with us right now: diplomatic, information, economic, cyber, biological, IP theft, industrial espionage, illegal drugs and human trafficking, propaganda, psychological operations, etc etc... everything just barely below the level of openly armed conflict. Most of it nonattributional.

What’s the difference if “someone” unleashes a computer virus that shuts down a US port? Would you feel better if the Chinese just sank a US Navy ship in the main channel with a bomb from a PLA carrier plane? At least the second way we know who did it.


3 posted on 12/17/2020 9:50:15 AM PST by Dr. Pritchett
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To: Dr. Pritchett

CCP-controlled China is a bigger threat than the Soviet Union or Al-Qaeda ever was. It’s just more subtle and less obvious. While our coporate media focuses on identity-politcs, hoaxes and Kim Kardashian, China is advancing rapidly in 5G, artifical intelligence, chip manufacturing, etc. Our moron deep-staters do not realize the nature of the problem and our corrupt politicials (owned by corporations whose executives and shareholders profit greatly from China) will not do anything.
China’s list of misdeeds is quite long. Genocide in Tibet, XinJiang, suppression and culture eradication in Inner Mongolia, Yunan, illegal takeover of HongKong and South China Sea islands, threatening Taiwan & India, spying on their and our citizens, wildlife meat markets, depleting ocean fish stocks, horrific pollution, stealing US military technology, providing nukes to Pakistan, etc etc. And now, Covid.

“China is a respectable nation. I deeply believe that”
-Dianne Feinstein


4 posted on 12/17/2020 10:20:21 AM PST by anthropocene_x
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To: Onthebrink

China’s overall strategy is perfectly logical - they are making long-term plans to secure oil supplies and have energy security. They seem to have more wisdom and long-term thinking than our own fetid deep state

The article didn’t mention nuclear. China is building more nuclear reactors than the rest of the world combined. They now have their own designs, and unlike the West (and certainly the United States) where building a nuclear plant will now take 10+ years (and super expensive), China’s top down system makes nuclear a very cheap and attractive option.


5 posted on 12/17/2020 10:39:09 AM PST by PGR88
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To: anthropocene_x

“ Our moron deep-staters do not realize the nature of the problem and our corrupt politicials (owned by corporations whose executives and shareholders profit greatly from China) will not do anything.”

I strongly believe that they DO recognize it. They know all about it, which is what makes their treachery anything but moronic.


6 posted on 12/17/2020 12:00:51 PM PST by Dr. Pritchett
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