Besides the global financial crisis, 2008 is also remembered for a record high crude oil price that plunged precipitously in the second half of the year. How wildly the price fluctuates in 2009 is a question that occupies economic researchers throughout the world. It is particularly important in China, which depends on imports for half of its crude consumption.

Here are some of the forecasts China Daily has collected:

Lin Boqiang, director of China center for energy economics research, Xiamen University: