ASTK12315U Course: China's energy policy - implications for the future of Chinese power

In the last decade, Chinese national oil companies (NOCs) have engaged in purchases of resources, i.e. oil, gas and minerals, in regions such as Africa, Central Asia and North America. On the one hand, the companies have been seen as acting under instructions and in close co-ordination with the Chinese government; on the other it has been pointed to that there is no coordination between the companies and the government. This course provides a framework for understanding the interactions between the companies and the government. The course’s wider agenda is to consider important questions within international political economy such as what the way the Chinese state handles the country’s energy policy shows about the country’s state capacity in post-reform China as well as about Chinese policy-making and energy governance. What can the Chinese case tell us about the government’s ability to steer the economy? Ultimately, how China handles its energy policy has ramifications for the country’s stability and can serve as an indicator of the country’s foreign policy and future position in the international system.

The course has several goals. The first is to introduce students to the context of Chinese energy governance and energy policy in post-reform China. The second goal is to consider the steps taken by the Chinese government to ensure its energy security. In this way, it can serve as a case for understanding more general tendencies within international political economy.

The course will raise many questions, but few may be answered decisively. Students will be expected to read widely and wrestle with concepts, not just accumulate facts. Class meetings will emphasize discussion, not lectures.

The rationale behind the structure of the course is to put the case of Chinese energy companies/energy policy into a broader context. Doing this, in a first part, a number of theoretical perspectives will be introduced. We will look at the question of Chinese power from an IPE perspective, we will look at different aspects of Chinese energy governance, and finally, we will look at perspectives on Chinese energy security and energy policy.

In a second part, the theoretical tools will be used to look at the activities of Chinese companies in a number of countries in both Africa, North America, Europe and Central Asia. These case studies will help us understand the steps taken by the Chinese government to ensure its energy security. Moreover, the case studies can help us understand the implications of Chinese energy policy for the country’s foreign policy and for the future of Chinese power.

The course will be structured in the following way:

1: Introduction

2: The question of Chinese power: IPE perspectives

3: China’s energy governance: the energy administration

4: Chinese energy governance: the relationship between the energy companies and the government

5: The role of Chinese energy security

6: Chinese energy policy and foreign policy

7: Case: the case of Sudan

8: Case: the cases of Angola and Nigeria

9: Case: the case of Canada

10: Case: the case of Denmark

11: Case: the case of Kazakhstan

12: Case: the case of Uzbekistan

13: Conclusion

Competency description

This course equips the student to understand current Chinese energy governance and energy policy and enhances the students’ ability to understand important questions within the realm of international political economy as well as international relations. The course is relevant to students who aim for a career in, for example, international organisations, diplomacy and global companies.