China Attempts to Ease Worries Over Its Energy Appetite

China Attempts to Ease Worries Over Its Energy Appetite

Europe's new concerns about reliance on Russia for much of its energy security are nothing compared with the worries in many other capitals around the world about the problem posed by China's growing demand for oil and gas, say analysts.

Those worries are little mollified by repeated assurances coming out of Beijing that China's insatiable appetite for energy is not a threat to the rest of the world. Beijing's assurances don't sound convincing, many analysts say.

Each year since the early 1990s, China has been consuming more and more energy to fuel its fast-growing economy. Last year, the Chinese accounted for 26 percent of the world output of steel and 47 percent of cement, for example.

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