China seeks to achieve independence from geopolitical instability by diversifying the country's energy mix, said Igor Sechin, Executive Secretary of the Presidential Commission for Strategic Development of the Fuel and Energy Sector and Chief Executive Officer of Rosneft Oil Company.

“The challenges facing China's economy create a need for the country's energy mix diversification aimed at achieving independence from geopolitical instability and the associated risks,” he said at the opening of the VII Russian-Chinese Energy Business Forum in Beijing.

He quoted Chinese President Xi Jinping's apt expression: “The rice bowl of energy must be firmly held in our own hands.” Partnership in this area is one of the priorities for Russia and China, Sechin added.

Today, the coal sector is gaining new momentum. “Last year China issued permits to build about 100 gigawatts of new coal-fired power generation. This is the highest record number in the past 10 years. Unlike many Western countries, China understands very well that alternative energy can only complement conventional energy, but not replace it,” said the Executive Secretary of the Presidential Commission. At the same time, Russia provides more than a quarter of China's coal imports.

Cooperation between the two countries in the gas sector is also developing dynamically, with Russia accounting for more than 20% of China's gas supplies.

Today China has become a renowned world leader in renewable energy. In recent years, this country is the one that has commissioned the highest volume of new renewable generation capacity, and now hosts over 70% of the world's manufacturing capacity for the "green" economy equipment.

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Rosneft Oil Company
November 25, 2025