Deeper Sino-APEC energy ties eyed

China will continue to deepen energy cooperation with other Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation member economies, prioritizing diversified supply sources and cross-border clean energy integration to fortify the region's energy security buffer against ongoing global market volatility, officials said.

The pledge was highlighted at a recently held conference, hosted by the National Energy Administration following the APEC Energy Ministerial Meeting, where member economies reached a landmark "1+3+5" framework of outcomes to navigate shifting geopolitical and market landscapes.

The package includes the Joint Statement of the 2026 APEC Energy Ministerial Meeting, three consensus-based roadmaps — focusing on high-quality energy inclusion, the mutual empowerment of artificial intelligence and energy systems through 2030 and non-binding principles for energy security synergy.

Addressing the briefing, Wang Hongzhi, head of the NEA and chair of the ministerial meeting, emphasized that regional cooperation has become ever more urgent as international crude benchmarks breached $100 per barrel amid geopolitical tensions.

With the Asia-Pacific importing over 45 percent of its crude oil and 23 percent of its natural gas from the Middle East, supply disruptions have exposed structural vulnerabilities, Wang said.

"As the world's largest energy producer and consumer, China has kept its domestic energy supply and prices broadly stable while reliably safeguarding domestic livelihood needs, making vital contributions to the stability of regional and global energy markets," Wang said.

Wang noted that China is translating its domestic practices in energy resilience into regional consensus.

Under the APEC Principles on Promoting Energy Security Synergy, economies adopted a blueprint balancing fossil fuels with clean energy. Diversifying import channels and optimizing market mechanisms will facilitate smoother cross-border power connectivity and regional trade.

To combat volatility, the framework prioritizes crisis preparedness and disaster resilience. Economies will deepen emergency coordination through contingency reserves and joint assessments, ensuring infrastructure withstands and quickly recovers from sudden shocks.

Finally, the principles champion innovation to modernize the Asia-Pacific energy landscape. Integrating artificial intelligence and digital solutions will accelerate technological upgrades, building a highly efficient, secure, and decarbonized regional ecosystem for future economic growth.

China's contributions to APEC energy cooperation have expanded steadily over the past 12 years, according to Wang Jianbo, deputy head of the NEA.

During this period, China has spearheaded 57 APEC energy fund projects — ranking first among all member economies — producing influential policy guides on grid resilience, low-carbon cities, and data governance.

Meanwhile, Chinese enterprises have actively invested in regional energy connectivity. Milestones include 16 cross-border transmission lines built with Association of Southeast Asian Nations neighbors, China Southern Power Grid's distribution network in Peru and Malaysia's Edra power plants developed by China General Nuclear Power Corp.

In addition, clean energy solutions from Chinese firms like BYD have delivered utility-scale floating offshore wind and battery storage across economies including Indonesia and Chile.

Looking ahead, China will continue to share scalable, low-carbon engineering practices to help other member economies meet APEC's collective renewable energy and energy-efficiency targets, fostering an inclusive, resilient regional energy transition, the administration said.