Brookings: Experts - Erica S. Downs

China's Temptation to Invest in Iran's Oil Industry

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Erica Downs examines what is behind the recent Iranian invitation to China to invest $43 billion in Iran's oil industry. Downs argues that Iran is aiming to lessen the impact of additional international sanctions by adding to its meager refining capability, but she also believes there are several reasons China will be unwilling to deliver everything Iran wants.

China's "New" Energy Administration

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

China’s new National Energy Administration (NEA), established in March 2008, is the PRC government’s latest attempt to create an effective national-level energy institution. However, China Energy Fellow Erica Downs believes the NEA is unlikely to have the the authority, autonomy, resources, and tools to govern the energy sector.

China’s Energy Policies and Their Environmental Impacts

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In testimony before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, Erica Downs outlined China's energy policymaking reforms and how they are unlikely to substantially improve energy governance. She also discussed the implications of these changes for the United States.

China’s NOCs: Lessons Learned From Adventures Abroad

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In a bid to secure much-need energy resources, China’s national oil companies (NOCs) have moved in to international mergers and acquisitions. Despite some initial disappointments they are developing a spread of global assets. Erica Downs reviews some of the lessons they have learned from their experiences

China's Quest for Overseas Oil

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Article by Erica Downs, Far Eastern Economic Review (September 2007)

The Fact and Fiction of Sino-African Energy Relations

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Policy-makers and experts in America and Europe are increasingly concerned about the growing role of China’s oil companies in Africa. Erica Downs contends that Chinese oil companies are not trying to “lock up” Africa’s oil to meet China’s own needs for energy.

Brookings Foreign Policy Studies Energy Security Series: China

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Energy Security Series Monograph (December 2006)

Oil-Hungry China Belongs at Big Table

Fri, 08 Sep 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion by Jeffrey A. Bader and Erica S. Downs, Calgary Herald (9/8/06)

How Oil Fuels Sino-U.S. Fires

Mon, 04 Sep 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion by Erica S. Downs, BusinessWeek (9/4/06)

China's Role in the World: Is China a Responsible Stakeholder?

Fri, 04 Aug 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Testimony by Erica S. Downs before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (8/4/06)

Untangling China's Quest for Oil through State-backed Financial Deals

Mon, 01 May 2006 00:00:00 GMT

The worldwide quest for oil resources by and investment practices of China's NOCs have triggered concerns about China's impact on international oil supplies and prices. China's growing oil demand need not lead to conflict with the rest of the world's energy needs. China's participation in the upstream oil market, in fact, can help increase supplies and lower prices, benefiting all consumers.

National Energy Security Depends on International Energy Security

Fri, 17 Mar 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion by Erica S. Downs (3/17/06)

In a recent speech at The Brookings Institution, Senator Richard Lugar, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, warned that "energy is the albatross of U.S. national security." America's appetite for oil both directly and indirectly challenges a variety of U.S. interests, such as economic growth, democratization, and counterterrorism. This albatross cannot be removed from America's neck through domestic measures alone.