Enhancing China’s energy security: Determining influential factors and effective strategic measures

•The most influential factors affecting China’s energy security are identified.•Fuzzy AHP is used to quantify the importance of influential factors.•Strategic measures for enhancing China’s energy security are prioritized.•Fuzzy AHP is used to determine the priorities of the strategic measures.

This study investigates the most influential factors affecting China’s energy security. It also identifies the most effective strategic measures for enhancing it. Fuzzy AHP has been used to determine weights for ranking the importance of Chinese energy security factors, and it has also been used to determine the priorities of the strategic measures with respect to enhancing those same factors. The study argues that a low proportion of renewable energy penetration is the most severe factor threatening China’s energy security, and that conducting research and development on energy technologies and improving energy efficiency is the most salient, positive, and necessary strategic measure.

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