War and Energy Shortages Boost China’s Influence in Asia The war in Iran has left China’s neighbors appealing for help, handing Beijing the kind of sway it has long sought.

New York Times ^ | 7th May 2026 | Alexandra Stevenson and Murphy Zhao

[Cronos]

Vietnam appealed to Beijing over its looming jet fuel shortage. The Philippines asked China not to restrict fertilizer exports. After a visit to China last month to press the subject, Australia’s foreign minister said Beijing would cooperate with Australian companies on jet fuel shipments.

The outreach produced assurances from China to address regional energy security issues as well as commitments from other countries to advance diplomatic dialogue with Beijing and, in some cases, cooperate on future renewable energy projects, according to government readouts. The diplomacy kept some Chinese fuel flowing, helping Asia avoid some of the worst-case scenarios that experts feared at the start of the war.

Beijing has cast itself as the leader of a future powered by renewable and domestically sourced energy

“China is stepping in cautiously to support its neighbors,” said Michal Meidan, head of China energy research at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, an independent research group. “They are using this as a soft-power tool to say, ‘We will try to support your energy security with the caveat that China comes first,’

“Chinese officials are aware of the blowback, and they see clean energy as a remedy to the bad image of the Belt and Road Initiative,”

The war in the Middle East has given China an outlet for its glut of electric vehicles, solar panels and other green technology. Chinese solar panel exports more than doubled in March compared with the previous month, while electric vehicle exports also rose despite tariffs aimed at keeping them out of many markets.

---

TOPICS: Business/Economy; China; Foreign Affairs; Government
KEYWORDS: alexandrastevenson; murphyzhao; newyorkslimes; newyorktimes

[ComputerGuy]

BFL

[No.6]

China is losing proxy states galore and the NYT declares victory for them. OK grey whore. :D

[shotgun]

The NYT never misses an opportunity to carry the water for our country’s enemies.

[FLT-bird]

NY Slimes propaganda as usual.

China can’t produce anywhere near enough oil and gas to meet its needs and cannot project power across long distances - like the Persian Gulf for example.

[Antoninus]

NY Times. Don’t you believe it.

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

Oxford?

"Michal Meidan, head of China energy research at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies" -- 57 Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6HJ, England.

So King Chuck E. Cheese tries diplomacy with a state visit, while ex-Bank of England Carney in Australia says the "crown" is what holds Europe together ( kind of of, sort of ) while Alberta votes separate from Canada, and now that British "independent research group" is feeding quotes to the NYTimes. Sounds like President Trump is annoying all the right people.

Only recently, "Europeans have to step up and defend their own interests because the U.S., China and Russia are now all "dead against" them, French President Emmanuel Macron warned...." Sounds like Yur-Up-Peein' leaders are upset. With us.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

Trump’s fault.

[HYPOCRACY]

This is seriously pathetic gaslighting by the NYT. But what else is new?

[faithhopecharity]

leave it to the NYSlimes to distort reality so exceptionally well

Communist China is losing all of its oil sources, access.
It has only a few weeks worth of reserves and almost no domestic production. And just as its oil supplies are being cut off (Venezuela, Iran...) so can its trade routes (Straights of Malacca, Hormuz, Red Sea, Suez Canal, Panama Canal...plus its Belt and Road initiative across Asia to Europe) be constricted or cut off at America’s will ... all with very little investment or cost to USA.

Indeed, some commentators have noted that the entire foreign policy of USA these last couple of years is directed at regaining some strength vis-a-vis Communist China and its expansion program.

Either way on that, but Communist China for all its various capacities is not in a position to take over Asia today. The NYSlimes writes such poppycock propaganda (no matter how distorted it has to be) to undercut American interests... nothing more and nothing less.