China is replacing Middle East oil with Xinjiang coal. What does it mean for the world?

As the war in Iran disrupts global oil and chemical supplies, China’s coal-heavy energy sector is seizing an unprecedented opportunity. Dannie Peng visited the Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture in northern Xinjiang – one of China’s four major bases for large-scale, modern coal-chemical production. In the second of a two-part series, she discovers how China is leveraging coal chemicals to offset oil shocks. It is late April, and northern Xinjiang is already gripped by scorching heat. Salt flat...

By Dannie Peng