Former US secretary of defence James Schlesinger, the co-chairman of the group writing a report on US oil dependency, said the oil dependence of China and India should be a concern, noting Beijing had already negotiated with rogue and "near-rogue" states such as Iran and Sudan to secure future oil resources, The Australian Financial Review (20/12/06, p.10) reports.
Competition with India, China: It also puts the United States in competition with China and India for oil imports, says the report, titled ‘National security consequences of US oil dependency’. “At best these trends will challenge US foreign policy; at worst, they will seriously strain relations between the United States and these countries,” the report by a 26-member group says.
Managing dependence: "The central task for the next two decades must be to manage the consequences of dependence on oil, not to pretend the US can eliminate it," the report says, adding that energy issues must be integrated with – but not be central to – US foreign policy.
The Australian Financial Review, 20/12/2006, p.10 Provided by eRisk