China urged to strengthen navy escorts and find other routes to secure energy supply

Industry analysts are urging China to enhance its energy supply security in response to the Middle East conflict's disruption of global energy chains. Lu Ruquan, president of the China National Petroleum Corporation Economics and Technology Research Institute, stated that China should strengthen its escort capabilities, emergency responses, and safety guarantees at critical maritime chokepoints. This recommendation, published in the journal International Petroleum Economics, highlights the vulnerability exposed by potential closures of vital routes like the Strait of Hormuz. The analysts suggest that China needs to explore alternative shipping routes and bolster its naval escort operations to better protect its energy shipments.