9. China
Production (1,000 b/d): 4,273.7
Proven reserves (millions of barrels): 25,132
Years of production left at current level: 16 years
2015 import of crude oil (1,000 b/d): 6,730.9
2015 import of petroleum products (1,000 b/d): 1,150.9
China is slowly stepping into the role the United States played in the 1970s and 1980s, that of a glutinous oil-hungry behemoth bent on getting its oil wherever and however possible. With its domestic production peaking in 2015 and on a decline and record high crude oil imports, China is facing a strategic problem of oil dependency, one that will not be easy to solve. The recent warming up of Sino-Russian relations is aimed as a part of the solution, among other things, like an attempt to curb the American influence.
