Workers carry out a practice drill in case of a hydrogen sulfide leak at a natural gas appraisal well of Sinopec in Langzhong county, Sichuan province. (Reuters)
The U.S. Has a Huge Advantage Over China in Energy—and It's Growing -- Derek Scissors, The Atlantic
Despite a large labor force and massive shale gas reserves, the Chinese market cannot overcome stifling political controls.
Conventional wisdom says that by many economic measurements, China isn’t far behind the U.S.—and is catching up fast. But in one vital sector—energy—the U.S. leads and is pulling away. And the odds of this lead diminishing anytime soon, Beijing’s current plans aside, are close to zero. Considering China’s gains in other areas, why is energy so different?
In theory, both countries ought to have similar potential for producing energy. The U.S. and China have a roughly equal land mass, and while the U.S. has considerably more natural resources, the Chinese population is more than four times as large. Because labor is vital in production, it wouldn’t be too surprising if China's industry out-produced the U.S. And in certain industries, output between the two is comparable: For example, in chemicals, there are even claims that China is ahead.
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My Comment: I have been visiting China since the imd-1980s .... and the problem has always been the same .... their energy needs are always outstripping what they can produce. The above Atlantic article provides a good explanation and summary on why China will continue to have energy problems far into the future.
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