Analysts long assumed a Middle Eastern blockade would cripple China due to its reliance on imported oil, but that assumption is dangerously out of date. Having spent years hoarding strategic energy reserves, increasing overland Russian imports and cultivating diplomatic leverage, Beijing has engineered a position of considerable strength, which it has been using to its advantage.
How stupid are they. They’re literally killing the free market because of the “threat of China EVs”. How did they not realize that China doesn’t give a fuck about oil anymore.
They so wrongly assume the entire world is just like them.
You know oil is used for more than fuel right? Aside from that, evs arent very good at long distance shipping… and china is massive
China, the world’s largest oil importer doesn’t give a fuck about oil anymore?
I read that they stockpiled a ton of crude oil in anticipation. However I’ve also read they haven’t even touched that stockpile.
But with over 1,100GW of solar capacity and with strong electric motor industry driving EVs, last-mile transportation, and now all-electric shipping container vessels I don’t think theyre sweating over oil anymore.
China has filled its oil reserves over the last few years by buying cheap Russian oil, funding Russian aggression in Ukraine.
But with over 1,100GW of solar capacity and with strong electric motor industry driving EVs, last-mile transportation, and now all-electric shipping container vessels I don’t think theyre sweating over oil anymore.
This reads like promotional propaganda that in no way discounts the fact that China is by some way the worlds largest oil importer. The two things are not mutually exclusive, China is the world’s factory and requires huge quantities of energy, renewable and fossil to sustain its manufacturing economy. In 2024, 62% of electricity generation was fossil fuels. As of 2025, 10% of the cars on Chinas roads are EVs.
China, while it is travelling in the right direction it still has a long way to go to eliminate their reliance on oil and fossil fuels.
Whether they got the oil from Russia, Iran, or the US. And regardless to whether they have huge oil reserves or not.
Through their actions it’s pretty clear they aren’t really worried about the straight or oil coming through the strait.
Who would have thought the TV star would be an absolute failure as president. Republicans are stupid.
the TV star would be an absolute failure as president.
He wasn’t even very good at being a TV personality.
The producers and editors had to work overtime to make him look competent, sane and non-racist.
Well as I have said for years, we elect people who reflect us as a nation. It is not just the Republicans. The whole country is stupid and we revel in it.
??? Who exactly is surprised by this? Not to mention their expansion of renewable energy which makes them even more independent.
China is so far ahead of the game. They have backup plans for the backup plans. It helps if you have a 5, 10, 15 and 25 year plan and stick to it. Unfortunately this is something most punters will never understand.
It’s too easy to subscribe to the idea the Middle Kingdom has all the aces in its sleeves, as it appears to have learned from the failures of its rivals, but I’m not deceived by all that glitters in Shanghai and Beijing. Notably the disturbing wealth disparity, an ironclad surveillance regime (which Thiel is envious of), and disillusionment and anger among some of the urban Chinese young against an exploitative work culture corroding them to the core.
Careful now buckaroo this only applies to energy. Politically, militarily and corruption wise they’re par. Xi wants to live forever just like Putin
I always say, as much as the Western-led technological and economic innovation did bring prosperity, it is at the expense of the long term because it brought short term materialism and profiteering mindset. A lot of Western companies prioritise next quarter earnings over long term sustainability. That is not to say that other cultures aren’t materialistic and greedy, being an Asian I notice that older generations are materialistic because they grew up poor in post-World War II and colonial era, but East Asian culture stands out more because of Confucian values of thinking long term with state backing.
Japanese companies are unafraid to branch out and diversify a lot; like Nintendo going from being playing card manufacturer to becoming a videogame giant, and Sony coming from electronics to videogames and now finance. They do this if the sector they are in is no longer commercially viable in the future. Meanwhile, Western companies fight tooth and nail to keep their dying business model going (I’m talking to you fossil fuel companies), because they are afraid of next quarter losses.
As for China, they have made a mistake of resting with laurels on their heads in the past, having become complacent for being the centre of trade and culture for 600 years. Europe was clamouring to trade with China, and European imperialism and colonisation started as motivation by wanting to trade with China. The country is called “Middle Kingdom” after all in Mandarin, implying it’s the centre of the world, which is still true in many ways.
But China got overtaken by the West and was wrecked in the 19th and 20th century. Whether it’s Nationalists or Communists who end up ruling the entirety of China, I think both factions are guided by past mistakes of the imperial order of becoming too corrupt and complacent, and don’t want to repeat it again in the modern world. China now thinks long term, it is the West who are now experiencing the mistakes that Imperial China had done.
Yeah, democracies really need a mechanism for voting on long term goals and a way to do a three strikes and banned for life for politicians violating the goals.
No, the US needs to move past Red vs Blue “democracy” to something multi party and with constant coalitions and compromises. Then hopefully grown ups will run the US. Two parties is a democratic failure.
Multi party is better, but not a guarantee. My government is multi parry. It can take a year to form a coalition because of all the arguing they do. Small parties can ducks have a huge influence of they are needed to complete the coalition. They do a lot of infighting afterwards and still often manage to be reactive and short term.
I’m pretty sure that this can only work if we dial back the capitalism, but I think at this point that’s impossible.
It’s easier than you’d think; we stop voting for people, and start voting for policy direction. Then we hire competent public servants to make and implement plans based on voter sentiment. Yeah, and while I’m dreaming, I’d like a pony.
In the US we have so many things that have general public support, but our leaders block for big money interests. Voting doesn’t solve that, which is why the country worries about potential dissolution and civil war/unrest.
