The Hormuz crisis tests China’s energy security while highlighting its growing clean-tech advantage.

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The closure of the Strait of Hormuz following the outbreak of war between the U.S. and Iran has disrupted about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flows, driving up energy costs around the world. Yet China, the world’s largest energy consumer and oil importer, has so far weathered the disruption with relatively little economic impact. Strategic stockpiles, alternative fossil fuel supplies, and domestic energy resources have all contributed to China’s resilience, while clean energy and electrification have played a more limited role.

Scott Moore, a Faculty Fellow with the Kleinman Center and Director of China Programs and Strategic Initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania, discusses what the Hormuz crisis reveals about China’s energy strategy and its position as the world’s dominant clean-energy manufacturer. He also explores how the crisis could accelerate global demand for renewable energy and electric vehicles, and argues that the United States needs a new approach to Chinese clean-energy technologies if it hopes to compete in a future in which critical energy supply chains are increasingly concentrated in China.

Scott Moore is a Faculty Fellow with the Kleinman Center and Director of China Programs and Strategic Initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania.

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When Geopolitics Disrupts Energy Systems https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/commentary/podcast/when-geopolitics-disrupts-energy-systems/

Energy Policy Now is produced by The Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. For all things energy policy, visit kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu.