INDIA EXPLORES ENERGY COOPERATION WITH CHINA AS MIDDLE EAST CRISIS THREATENS GLOBAL OIL SUPPLIES

November 3, 2026

BEIJING, November 3, 2026: Indian Ambassador to China Vikram Doraiswami on Tuesday met PetroChina International Chairman Wu Junli in Beijing to discuss global energy developments and the need to ensure predictable and secure oil supplies amid escalating instability in the Middle East.

According to the Indian Embassy in Beijing, the meeting focused on global energy issues, reliable supplies and the importance of maintaining stable energy markets. Doraiswami's discussions with Wu followed an earlier meeting between the leadership of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and India's Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.

CNPC Chairman Dai Houliang had met Puri in New Delhi in September on the sidelines of the BRICS summit. The two sides exchanged views on strengthening energy cooperation, reflecting continuing engagement between the world's two largest crude oil-importing countries.

The latest diplomatic engagement comes against the backdrop of an intensifying Middle East crisis involving the United States and Iran, alongside attacks by Yemen's Houthi movement on Saudi Arabian oil facilities. The conflict and associated security threats have raised concerns about the stability of international energy supplies and critical shipping routes.

India and China are both heavily dependent on imported crude oil, making uninterrupted supplies and stable international markets important to their economic and energy-security interests. The discussions in Beijing underline the importance of diplomatic engagement and cooperation as geopolitical tensions create uncertainty across global oil markets.

Separately, Doraiswami met Xu Xiao, President of the All-China Youth Federation, on October 30. Their discussions focused on strengthening youth engagement and expanding exchanges and interactions between young people from India and China.

The meetings form part of continuing diplomatic engagement between New Delhi and Beijing, with energy security emerging as an important area of discussion amid the changing geopolitical situation in the Middle East.