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Asian energy security

Asian energy security
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In the post-Cold War era, Western governments have sought ways to alleviate or forestall the strategic vulnerability and constraints on foreign policy that dependency on foreign oil brings. A wide range of indicators suggest that dramatic developments are taking place in Asian energy markets. At the center is Asia’s mushrooming demand for oil, natural gas, and electricity to fuel its dynamic economic growth. China’s imports alone are predicted to exceed those of all OECD countries put together by 2016. Malaysia and Indonesia, which have traditionally been oil exporting countries, are now net importers of oil. Between 2002 and 2025, the oil import dependency of Southeast Asian nations will increase from 10 % to nearly 70 %.
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The result is a profound and deepening sense of insecurity in Asia that promises to have important long-term geo-political implications for the region.

China, Korea, and Japan are the world’s largest economies.

Energy supplies from the Middle East, and from the Gulf in particular, remain critically important.

Both Japan and South Korea perceive themselves as exposed to inexplicable supply disruptions and argue that they would be too weak without recourse to an independent energy supply. Nuclear energy has been an integral part of both countries’ energy supply system.

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Global Resource Politics: the Past, Present and Future of Oil, Gas and Shale

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