China’s ultimate geopolitical goal is not merely to buy more foreign oil to keep its economy growing, but rather to gain energy security. This means increasing its access to oil that cannot easily be shut off by the United States in a future crisis. Oil from Canada fails this critical test, but the oil extraction technology and know-how that can be found in its Alberta province would help China develop the energy resources within its own borders. LIGNET believes Beijing is more eager to acquire these sophisticated tools and the expertise than it is to buy Canadian oil.