Lieberman Encourages US-China Cooperation to End Dependence on Oil
By Mandy Kozar
WASHINGTON, Nov. 30-The United States and China could be headed for economic and national security clashes if they do not curb their dependence on oil in the coming years, Sen. Joseph Lieberman said Wednesday.
China’s rapid economic growth has had a corresponding effect on its growing consumption of oil. According to the International Energy Agency, China consumes more than 6 million barrels of crude oil per day, second only to the United States, which, at more than 20 million barrels a day, leads the world in oil consumption.
In a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations, Lieberman described this global competition for oil as “one of the biggest sources of mutual frictions between the U.S. and [China].”
The two countries’ growing consumption has both energy officials and lawmakers concerned about what this appetite for oil, if left unchecked, could mean in the future-particularly regarding national security disputes between the two countries.
According to the agency’s International Energy Outlook 2005, “demand in the emerging economies rose by almost 1.9 million barrels per day, with China accounting for more than one-half of that increase.” The agency projected that, if nothing changes, world oil consumption will increase from 78 million barrels per day to 119 million by 2025, with emerging Asian markets, including China, accounting for 45 percent of the increase.
During his speech, Lieberman warned that this growing dependency on limited resources “could lead to Sino-American confrontations over oil that could, in years ahead, threaten our national security and global security unless each of our nations reduces our dependence on oil.”
Something needs to be done soon, he added, before “the race for oil becomes as hot and dangerous as the nuclear arms race last century.”
Lieberman recently introduced legislation that calls for the United States to decrease its oil consumption by 10 million barrels per day by 2031 by developing alternative fuel sources and an energy-efficient transportation system.
William Martin, a former U.S. deputy secretary of energy, said that China, which has signed oil deals with Sudan and Iran, is also worried about growing competition over oil.
“If I’m China, and I’m looking around the world … frankly I’m terrified of the United States,” Martin told the gathering.
In preparation for recent talks with visiting President George Bush, Chinese President Hu Jintao proposed promoting China-U.S. cooperative ties, including mutually beneficial work in the energy sector and strengthening communication about energy strategies.
“When both nations that are potentially combative have the opportunity to win without fighting . fighting would be a tragic failure of foresight and leadership,” Lieberman said.
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