China's energy security in perspectve: a geopolitical approach

The text presented addresses aspects of China's energy security issue, which has recently become the world's largest consumer of energy. The text encompasses its specificities as a major player in the global energy scenario, as well as the mechanisms by which it has been acting to increase its level of energy security. The analysis presented here will be undertaken with a view to developing a geopolitical approach to energy security and will focus on China from the mid-1990s, when it becomes an oil importer. We will argue that China, in seeking to increase its level of energy security, has been moving in a complementary way on two fronts: Defense Policy and Military and Economic Cooperation. It will be discussed here how, by acting on this objective, China has contributed to increased tensions in the South China Sea.