China’s Global Energy Expansion

Should Chinese energy investments be excluded from the liberal economic system based on geopolitical assessments only?

China’s Global Energy Expansion explores the potential regulatory control by the Chinese government over foreign energy investments to achieve their perceived strategic objectives.

Host states in which Chinese energy companies make investments have increasingly opposed these investments during their national security reviews, due to concerns about their strategic objectives. The book analyses China’s investment-related law, regulations, and energy policies to examine how overseas energy investment-making is governed. Additionally, it delves into the role of the Chinese government in energy investment promotion and protection.

Uniquely, the examination of China’s potential regulatory control provides an objective criterion, rather than geopolitical considerations, for host states to assess the nature of Chinese energy investments.

The book helps readers to open the ‘black box’ of Chinese energy investments from a regulatory perspective. It serves as a valuable resource for researchers and practising lawyers aiding their Chinese clients through national security reviews, or when determining if China’s SOEs can bring cases before investor-state arbitration tribunals.