Nation set to reduce reliance on imports

The proportion of shale gas in China's energy mix is expected to grow continuously, leading analysts to forecast the development of the clean fuel will reduce China's dependency on energy imports and thus improve national energy security.

China has been heavily relying on oil and gas imports in recent years.

As the largest crude and gas importer worldwide, the country imported 440 million metric tons of crude oil in 2018, a year-on-year increase of 11 percent, and 125.4 billion cubic meters of gas, a year-on-year increase of 31.7 percent, according to figures from China National Petroleum Corp's Economics and Technology Research Institute.