China has the opportunity to move further into Middle Eastern oil and gas and acquire a stake in the Iranian South Pars gas field after Total came under pressure from international sanctions . Thus far , China has a presence in Bahrain , Qatar , Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as well as Iran , where China National Petroleum ( CNPC ) already has a 50 % stake in phase 11 of Iran 's South Pars and will become the majority stakeholder . AMAug 29 2018, 9:45 AMAugust 28 2018, 2:30 AMAugust 29 2018, 9:45 AM Demand for energy in China has increased as the world 's second - largest economy expanded and looked to improve air quality by reducing reliance on coal - fired power plants .
China has the opportunity to move further into Middle Eastern oil and gas and acquire a stake in the Iranian South Pars gas field after Total came under pressure from international sanctions . Thus far , China has a presence in Bahrain , Qatar , Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as well as Iran , where China National Petroleum ( CNPC ) already has a 50 % stake in phase 11 of Iran 's South Pars and will become the majority stakeholder . Demand for energy in China has increased as the world 's second - largest economy expanded and looked to improve air quality by reducing reliance on coal - fired power plants .