ABSTRACT
After more than two years of preparation, the central government in China created a national energy leading group in May 2005. The 13-member group, headed by Premier Wen Jiabao, consists of Vice Premier Huang Ju and Zeng Peiyan, as deputy directors of the group, ministers from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence, Ministry of Commerce, Finance, and Foreign Affairs. This ministerial-level group is in charge of developing national energy strategy, the development and conservation of energy resources, energy security and emergency responses, and energy co-operation with other countries. Three weeks later, in the midst of oil prices rising to $60 per barrel, China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC)’s unsolicited bid for the US oil company, UNOCAL, stirred up the international energy community and the US government. What do these developments tell us about one hotly debated issue – energy security?
