Throughout the development of the global economy, supply and demand of goods can often be characterized as countervailing. Prices are often determined by the proportion between production and consumption rather than the numerical difference between the two forces. This framing can be useful when determining the overall costs to producers and consumers alike when focusing on key commodities like petroleum. China’s covid era has demonstrated the relationship between supply and demand in the context of international and domestic policy. China’s original lockdown in 2020 primarily demonstrated the role of consumption, whereas the 2022 COVID emergence crisis highlighted the potential role of production in the global petroleum market.