China’s rapid economic growth has led to a huge increase in its domestic energy needs. Its oil demand grew from 2.3 million barrels per day (mb/d) in 1990 to 8.1 mb/d in 2009 (IEA 2010). China’s economic boom and its stagnating domestic oil production led Chinese NOCs (national oil companies) to quest energy resources overseas in the early 1990s. Although China’s “going out” strategy for oil and gas has made some achievements in the past years, China’s overseas projects have been facing potential constrains and rising costs. This is mainly because of a higher oil dependence on some politically unstable African and Middle East countries. This has impelled China to diversify its sources of imported energy resources, and place a higher priority on getting oil and natural gas from as closer to home as possible, and Southeast Asia has thus become an important player (see Zhao 2012: 112-131). The most recent and significant energy cooperation project is the China–Myanmar energy oil and gas pipelines which got started in 2009. In addition to ensuring energy security, a broader objective of this pipeline project is to make it as a catalyst for economic development and strengthen China–Myanmar bilateral relations by deepening regional economic integration.