China is increasingly using coal from Xinjiang to replace Middle Eastern oil amidst global supply chain issues caused by the war in Iran. This shift leverages China's coal-chemical sector to mitigate oil shocks.

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 flats.....