US urged to work with China on energy
The US must expand international co-ordination of energy issues, especially with China and India, to address concerns about growing global competition for energy resources, the chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee said on Monday.
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In a speech in Washington, Dick Lugar, the influential Republican senator, warned: “No one who is honestly assessing the decline of American leverage around the world due to energy dependence can fail to see that energy is the albatross of US national security.”
His remarks highlight the extent to which energy security has moved rapidly up the US political agenda, driven by an unusual coalition of interests. These include national security specialists concerned about US reliance on foreign oil in troubled parts of the world, environmentalists and unions keen to create jobs in the US by developing alternative energy sources.
Political interest in the issue was underlined by President George W. Bush’s unexpected comments in his State of the Union speech in January, when the former oil executive warned that the US “was addicted to oil”.
Mr Lugar on Monday called that phrase a “seminal moment in American history, when a US president said something contrary to expectations,” and compared it with “President Nixon using his anti-communist credentials to open up China”.
As debate about Iran’s nuclear ambitions shifts to the United Nations Security Council, Mr Lugar highlighted the dangers of transferring billions of dollars to unaccountable regimes and warned that economic sanctions against Iran might not work.
“Iran has been anticipating a crisis by accumulating funds [from high oil prices], so if they shut off oil supplies it could have savings to draw down for a long period of time. That is not well recognised and allows Iran and other states a degree of invulnerability to economic sanctions,” he said.
Mr Lugar noted that 77 per cent of the world’s oil supply was controlled by foreign governments, and that the US paid 17 per cent more for its energy in 2005 than the year before. Energy costs now account for a third of the US trade deficit. He predicted that the US would spend $320bn on oil imports this year.
To reduce US vulnerability he said he would introduce an Energy Diplomacy and Security Act this week to expand international co-operation to “enhance preparedness for major disruptions in oil supplies”.
He said a priority was formal co-ordination with China and India as they developed strategic petroleum reserves. He also called for new regional partnerships in the west.
More controversially, he suggested that there be a $35 a barrel price floor for oil, to provide security for companies seeking to invest in alternative fuels. He admitted that he was still speaking to economists about how this could be achieved.
美国“必须与中国开展能源合作”
美国参议院外交关系委员会(Senate Foreign Relations Committee)主席昨天表示，美国必须扩大能源问题上的国际协调，尤其是与中国和印度的协调，以解决令人关切的全球能源资源竞争问题。
影响力大的共和党参议员迪克?卢格(Dick Lugar)在华盛顿一次讲话中警告说：“任何认真评估美国全球影响力因依赖能源而下降的人都会发现，能源已成为美国国家安全的枷锁。”
他的话突出表明，在不同寻常的利益联盟的推动下，能源安全的地位正在美国的政治议程表上迅速上升。这个利益联盟包括国家安全专家、环保人士和工会。国家安全专家担心美国依赖世界动荡地区的石油，而工会则盼望开发替代型能源，在美国创造就业岗位。
原为石油高管的布什(George W. Bush)总统1月份在其国情咨文讲话中发表了意外评论，警告美国已“上了石油瘾”，这体现了政界对能源问题的兴趣。
随着有关伊朗核野心的辩论转到联合国安理会(United Nations Security Council)，卢格先生突出强调了巨额资金转移给不负责任政权的危险，同时警告说，对伊朗实施经济制裁可能不会奏效。
“伊朗一直预见会有一场危机，因此(通过高油价)积累资金。这样，如果他们切断了石油供应，还可以有积蓄维持很长一段时间。这一点尚未被人们充分认识，伊朗及其它某些国家在一定程度上不会受经济制裁的损害，”他表示。
他表示，为弥补美国的弱点，本周他将出台《能源外交与安全法案》(Energy Diplomacy and Security Act)，以扩大国际合作，“加强对重大石油供应中断事件的准备”。
他表示，在中国和印度发展战略石油储备之际，首要任务之一是与它们进行正式协调。他还呼吁西方建立新的区域合作关系。
