Letter from China: Five-Year Plan puts energy over decarbonisation
China’s reluctance to ease back on fossil fuels highlights the contrasting narratives of energy security and decarbonisation
Carbon neutrality has been the buzzword in China in recent months, but a close reading of the country’s recently approved 14th Five-Year Plan (FYP) makes clear that Beijing is prioritising energy over emissions in near-term policymaking—a continuation that will be welcomed by China’s NOCs. An outline of the plan presented at China’s annual session of parliament in March showed little sign of an acceleration in the country’s fight against climate change. While the plan—a roadmap for China’s development in 2021-2025—did reaffirm the shift to a low-carbon and more energy-efficient economy, it also lacked ambition. A detailed path on how China will make good on its promise to peak carbon emissio

Also in this section
2 May 2025
Fast-tracking US project approvals and increased trade pressures have already changed the LNG landscape since Trump came to office, with further transformation ahead
2 May 2025
Peru’s state-owned hydrocarbons agency has launched the search for new investors for Offshore Block Z-69, a high-potential asset in the prolific Talara Basin.
2 May 2025
The scars of the Russia crisis have accelerated Europe’s push to wean itself off gas dependence as the growing globalisation of LNG becomes a double-edged sword
1 May 2025
The NOC’s dire financial situation and maturing fields have left the authorities with little choice but to reduce crude expectations