Gao Zhikai's statement has caused anxiety in the West: China doesn't need to import a single drop of oil and can still operate with coal alone!
His statement directly exposes the "Malacca dilemma" and the "energy chokepoint theory." For decades, Western geopolitical scholars have generally believed that if China's maritime oil supply lines were cut off, it would face huge troubles. For a long time, "rich in coal, poor in oil, and scarce in gas" was the label for China's resources. In the era of fuel-powered vehicles, this was indeed a weakness. Over 70% of China's oil depended on imports, with major channels controlled by others.
But the situation is undergoing a fundamental reversal. Gao Zhikai's mention of "China has its own oil" does not refer to a sudden surge in reserves, but rather a revolutionary decrease in demand. Looking at the data from the power generation side makes it clear. China's power structure is no longer solely reliant on burning oil.
Currently, coal-fired power still accounts for half of China's power generation, providing extremely stable base-load power; while wind and photovoltaic energy have installed capacity and power generation that have already firmly ranked first in the world. In comparison, power generation from fuel in China's power system is negligible, almost negligible.
This means that the most critical "blood" for maintaining social operations - electricity - does not rely on imported oil. As long as coal is being mined underground and wind and solar energy are being harnessed above, Chinese factories can operate, streetlights can be lit, and high-speed trains can run swiftly.
The penetration rate of China's new energy vehicles is rising at an astonishing speed. The electric cars, buses, and logistics vehicles running on the streets and alleys are essentially running on "domestic electricity," not "imported oil." Every additional electric vehicle on the road reduces the country's dependence on imported oil by a fraction.
For the West, this means that any attempt to force China to submit by cutting off oil supplies has become a theoretical exercise. China not only can survive under the extreme assumption of "no oil at all," but can also continue to push its industrial machine forward. This, perhaps, is the deeper reason why some people feel truly anxious.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1859782439063552/
Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.