China's oil and gas supply remained generally stable and orderly in the first quarter of 2026,as the National Energy Administration(NEA)effectively mitigated the impact of the Venezuela crisis and the US-Israel conflict with Iran on the country's energy supply,an NEA official said on Monday.
In the first quarter,crude oil output among above-designated-size industrial enterprises rose by 1.3 percent year-on-year,and that of natural gas increased by 3.0 percent.Coal production maintained steady growth despite a high baseline from the same period last year,with raw coal output from those enterprises increasing by 0.1 percent year-on-year,Xing Yiteng,deputy director-general of the department of development and planning at the NEA,said at a regular quarterly press conference on Monday.
The resilience of China's oil and gas industry and its capability to respond flexibly to risks and challenges have been constantly strengthened,supported by multiple factors,Zhang Xing,another NEA official,said at the same conference,in response to a question about China's oil and gas supply security as the recent energy crisis triggered by the conflict in the Middle East has affected many countries.
Guided by the new strategy of energy security since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan(2021-25)period,the NEA has been actively promoting the high-quality development of the oil and gas industry to ensure supply security under all circumstances,Zhang said.
First,efforts have been made to intensify oil and gas exploration,steadily increasing domestic output.The country's crude oil production has remained above 200 million tons per year,reaching new highs,while natural gas production has seen annual increases of more than 10 billion cubic meters for nine consecutive years.
Second,the NEA has accelerated the planning and construction of oil and gas infrastructure.The total length of long-distance oil and gas pipelines has surpassed 200,000 kilometers,while the receiving capacity for liquefied natural gas(LNG)now exceeds 120 million tons per year,Zhang said.
In addition,efforts have been made to consolidate and improve a diversified import system.China conducts oil and gas trade with nearly 50 countries worldwide,with import sources covering all major global oil and gas exporters,ensuring stable and reliable imports of oil and gas resources.Furthermore,the country continuously promotes the reliable and orderly substitution of oil and gas consumption,according to Zhang.
Jin Lei,a professor at the China University of Petroleum,told the Global Times on Monday that China boasts advantages in three aspects:an energy structure that relies less on oil compared with coal,national energy dispatches among different regions,and technological accumulation in new energy development.
"Through the development of wind,solar,and other sources of new energy,China has broken the global reliance on traditional fossil fuels-coal,oil,and gas-transforming a singular supply structure into a diversified one.This shift has significantly enhanced the resilience and security of the global energy system,"Jin explained.
China's newly installed solar and wind power capacity exceeded 430 million kilowatts in 2025,up 22 percent year-on-year,hitting a record high,the Xinhua News Agency reported in February,citing NEA data.
This surge propelled the cumulative grid-connected capacity of wind and solar power to 1.84 billion kilowatts,accounting for 47.3 percent of the country's total installed power capacity and surpassing thermal power for the first time,according to the report.
China supplies 70 percent of the world's wind power equipment and 80 percent of its photovoltaic modules,with strong competitiveness in both cost and quality,Lin Boqiang,director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University,told the Global Times on Monday.
Lin noted that the moment has arrived for countries worldwide to acknowledge China's pivotal role in global energy development,emphasizing the need for closer collaboration.
