Along with China's impressive economic development has come increased demand for fossil fuels, most of which enters China by ship through the Malacca Strait. This series of articles examines how China's energy needs are already affecting world oil supplies, how US interests and Chinese interests in oil collide, and how China's dependence on shipped-in oil could lead to a naval arms race as China and the US vie for a rapidly dwindling supply. Contributors describe Beijing's current energy policies and the implications for the Chinese economy, the development of alternative sources of energy, efforts to modernize the Chinese navy and create a national tanker fleet, Chinese ambitions in the Indian Ocean and relationships in the Middle East and Africa, US strategy in the South China Sea, and the specters of blockade and other outcomes of energy insecurity for both the US and China. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)