Energy supply data becomes a national se • Table.Briefings

Crude oil terminal in Yantai: Who imports all the Russian crude oil into China? Unanswered questions tempt investigations – when does it become espionage?

China’s National Energy Administration urges plugging leaks and swears the industry to secrecy. But the announcement disappeared from the net a few days later. What is clear, however, is that the confidentiality will increase. Reliable data on China’s energy transition is already hard to come by.

Is China now expanding its anti-espionage campaign to the energy sector? Or is it just an overzealous head of a key government agency? That is what observers wondered after Zhang Jianhua, Director of the National Energy Administration, urged companies in the sector in August to avoid „leaks“ in „sensitive areas“ of the energy sector, like the nuclear and oil industries. What is certain, however, is that information on China’s energy supply will be harder to obtain than ever before.

Energy supply data becomes a national secret

Sign up now and continue reading immediately