China expands ultra-deep oil and gas drilling efforts
China is expanding its efforts to drill ultra-deep oil and gas wells, defined as more than three-and-a-half miles deep, as the world's largest crude importer steps up domestic exploration. China broke oil and gas production records in 2025 and has hastened its efforts this year to shield itself from war-related shifts in global energy markets, according to The South China Morning Post. A Semafor China columnist argued that China's oil stockpiles, overland pipelines, coal-to-chemicals technologies and green technologies have given Beijing strategic leverage over island neighbours dependent on imported energy.
Why it matters: The expansion of ultra-deep drilling is a domestic-supply component of China's energy security approach, aimed at limiting exposure to war-related disruption in global energy markets.