China’s energy industry is caught between a rock and a hard place. As the world’s second-largest economy has surged back to life in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic, energy demand has skyrocketed, leading to soaring fuel prices and unprecedented decisions out of Beijing to compromise some of the country’s energy security in the interest of keeping the lights on in the immediate term. What’s more, all of this is taking place as the Chinese economy enters a slowdown and inflation rates are on the rise . “Inflation is soaring, and the country’s producer price index hit a 13-year high last month, driven by rising commodity prices,” CNN Business reported about the Chinese economy’s woes earlier this month. “The government has warned that high costs for raw materials such as energy and petrochemical products will exacerbate growth and employment challenges facing manufacturers — especially small and medium-sized businesses.” […]