Peak Oil refers to this article in the Jakarta Post that lists some of the steps that are being taken in China to cope with their need to balance supply and demand. Apart from no longer wearing suit jackets (but save them since you will need them this winter) the article lists the following

So tourists wanting to enjoy the spectacular night view of the Bund or the glittering downtown shopping area of East Nanjing Road in Shanghai would be disappointed as the lights have been dimmed and are switched off earlier. Tiananmen Square in Beijing is also not as bright as it used to be and the same is happening elsewhere in China.

This summer especially has been extremely hot with the mercury rising to 39 degrees Celsius. As a result, energy consumption has increased as people switch on their air-conditioners to fight the sweltering heat. In the meantime, industries continue to churn away, keeping the economy sizzling.

In Shanghai alone, electricity usage over the summer is expected to increase by over 12 percent to 19 million kilowatts and, determined not to let its citizens suffer from any total blackouts, the municipal government has taken various measures to manage energy usage more efficiently. These measures include ordering larger companies to shift production to off-peak hours and increasing the prices of peak level electricity usage to encourage them to do so; warning all industrial enterprises that they may face electricity rationing from now until the end of August so they can readjust or rearrange work shifts accordingly.

The government also told government buildings, malls, offices, hotels and entertainment venues to curb consumption. The general public has also been asked to use energy-saving lights, fans instead of air-conditioners and washing machines with timers.

The article then goes on to say

At the national level, Premier Wen Jiabao recently launched an energy-saving campaign ordering government offices to keep air-conditioners no colder than 26 degrees Celsius, to switch air-conditioners and lights off when leaving the office, to use lifts less often, use energy-saving lightbulbs and to come to work wearing ordinary shirts without a jacket and tie, except when there are important official activities. A central circular was issued and local governments followed suit.

But such campaigns are just a small part of a bigger strategy to meet its energy demands. Analysts expect that in 20 years' time, China is going to consume nearly 13 million barrels of oil a day, or about 10 percent of the global total. A lot of it will be imported oil. Therefore, short-term energy saving campaigns, no matter how helpful, will not be enough.

I think that it is clear that China understands, and is working to addressing, the issues of future energy supply in the focussed way that their type of society structure allows. Wonder how long it will be before we start saying "Ouch!" The smaller countries in Asia are there already.
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