China and India: A Conflict over Energy on the Horizon

China and India represent two of the fastest growing economies in the world. Since the later 20th century, national reforms in these two states have caused unprecedented growth in the production capacity of these two nations. Much like the Industrial Revolutions of the western powers, China and India's growth can only be sustained by consuming massive amounts of natural resources like coal and oil. Since many of their local sources of energy have already been tapped, the two nations must now secure imports from other regions such as the Middle East. As both economies continue to grow, the search for new supplies becomes increasingly important. Will the increased competition for resources create a scenario where the two Asian powers might go to war? Many studies have been done comparing the accelerated growth of China and India but there is very little literature on the threat to global security that will stem from the growing competition for energy between these two nations. Using recent newspaper articles, data from the International Energy Agency of the OECD and the United States’ Energy Information Agency and relevant academic journal articles, this paper will analyze the growing energy crisis by first examining historical precedents in conjunction with the theory of neorealism that show resources can be a cause of conflict. Second, it will inspect current Sino-Indian relations to see if there are tensions that could contribute to potential hostilities. Third, it will investigate trends in energy consumption of the two subjects from past to present to determine if their current rate of growth is unsustainable. Finally, it will analyze all of the relevant data to conclude if there is a possibility that a combination of these factors will lead to a conflict over resources between these two states and then recommend a course of action in order to prevent this possibility from occurring