China which had spent a whopping USD 135 billion last year to import oil may have surpassed the US as the world's largest energy consumer,the state-media reported today. According to the data released by the General Administration of Customs of China,in 2010,Beijing imported 239 million tonnes of oil,20.86 million tonnes only in December,which is a 17.5 per cent high in comparison to last year. "Snatching such oil deals cost China USD 135.1 billion throughout the year 2010,up 51.4 per cent year-on-year," the state-run Global Times reported. A plan released at the beginning of 2009 had assumed that if the country's geology exploration is not developed accordingly; and the country does not change its current economic development pattern,in 2020,China's dependence on foreign oil will rise to 60 per cent,it said. Data from the National Development and Reform Commission also showed that in 2020,China's oil demand will have reached 450 million to 610 million tonnes,of which the amount needed to be imported may reach 270 to 430 million tonnes. Dong Xiucheng,vice-director of the School of Business Administration of the China University of Petroleum (CUP) said China,in 2010,may have overthrown the US as the world's largest energy consumer. "Even if China can reach its target of cutting carbon emissions by 40 per cent to 50 per cent,it will be hard to decline the oil dependence." China became a net oil importer from net exporter in 1993. The increase in the output of some newly developed oil fields has not sustained the decline in output of some major oil fields,according to the report.
