(Source: China Development and Reform 2026-05-07)
Since the United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran, this regional conflict that has lasted for more than two months has not only intensified the geopolitical turmoil in the Middle East, but also directly affected the sensitive nerves of the global energy market, triggering a series of chain reactions.
Under the impact of what analysts call "the most serious energy crisis in decades", countries are re-examining energy security and accelerating the transformation to a more diversified, localized and sustainable energy system. In this regard,Dong Xiucheng, Executive Dean of the China International Carbon Neutral Economic Research Institute, w88 casinoAccepted an interview with a reporter from this newspaper and made comments and analysis on the current situation, response measures and future trends of energy security in many countries.
——The United States competes for control of global oil and gas resources.
“The Trump administration sees fossil fuel dominance as key to national strength.”Dong XiuchengAnalysis, on the one hand, the United States has relied on the shale oil and gas revolution to achieve a surge in domestic oil and gas production capacity, consolidating its energy output advantage. On the other hand, in addition to promoting the growth of domestic oil and gas in the United States, the Trump administration is vigorously pursuing an energy expansion strategy. By controlling Venezuelan oil resources and plotting to seize Iranian oil resources, competing for African rare earths and Greenland resources, and deploying diplomatic pressure and geopolitical arrangements such as controlling the Panama Canal and Strait of Hormuz waterways, the United States controls overseas oil and gas production areas and transportation channels, expands its own energy exports, and strengthens its dominance in international oil and gas pricing and rules. In essence, the United States intends to compete for control of global oil and gas resources and consolidate its oil and gas hegemony.
Dong Xiuchengsaid that in other energy fields, the Trump administration pursues the line of energy neorealism (that is, relying more on traditional fossil energy and achieving low-carbonization of fossil energy consumption through technological innovation) and canceling subsidies for clean energy, which has affected the pace of clean energy development to a certain extent. However, photovoltaic power generation in the United States already has a strong price advantage and its development momentum continues unabated. Against the background of AI-driven surge in power demand, the United States also has certain room for growth in nuclear power, coal power, etc.
——The European Union comprehensively adjusts its energy strategy.
“Before the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the EU’s domestic energy production capacity was weak and highly dependent on foreign countries.”Dong XiuchengAnalysis shows that the EU is deeply tied to Russian oil and gas resources, with fossil energy taking the lead and renewable energy and nuclear power supplementing it.
After the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in 2022, the European Union, which was highly dependent on imported oil and natural gas, fell into an energy crisis. European countries had to spend hundreds of billions of euros to rescue the people and industry. Since the escalation of the situation in the Middle East in 2026, the EU has spent an additional 24 billion euros on energy imports due to rising energy prices, but has not received additional energy supplies as a result. “The EU has comprehensively adjusted its energy strategy. ”Dong Xiuchengsaid that on the one hand, we must quickly get rid of energy dependence on Russia, expand import channels for liquefied natural gas, and diversify supply sources; on the other hand, we must accelerate energy transformation, significantly increase the development goals of new energy sources such as wind power and photovoltaics, and expand energy storage facilities. It is noteworthy that the EU has re-understood and positioned the role of nuclear energy and restarted and expanded nuclear power projects.
“In the future, the EU still needs to go a long way to transform its energy supply body into non-fossil energy.”Dong XiuchengSay.
——Japan and South Korea strengthen nuclear power.
Japan and South Korea are extremely dependent on foreign energy. Japan’s self-produced crude oil rate is less than 0.5%, and more than 99% relies on imports. In recent years, its dependence on Middle East crude oil has exceeded 90%. Similar to Japan, South Korea is also highly dependent on fossil energy imports. About 61% of crude oil imports and 54% of naphtha imports rely on the Hormuz route. The energy crisis has caused a sharp surge in oil and gas prices in the two countries, coupled with industrial power cuts and high inflation, which has had an impact on energy-intensive industries such as semiconductors and automobiles.
Dong Xiuchengsaid that in order to resolve risks, Japan and South Korea, on the one hand, urgently released oil reserves, promoted national energy conservation, and broadened the sources of energy imports. On the other hand, Japan and South Korea have unprecedentedly increased their nuclear power deployment. For example, Japan has successively restarted out-of-service nuclear power units and set a development goal of nuclear power generation accounting for 20% in 2030; it focuses on building a coordinated development system for nuclear power, photovoltaics, and hydrogen energy. Another example is that South Korea has abolished its nuclear abandonment policy and plans to build multiple new nuclear reactors, with nuclear power accounting for about 32%. The energy structure will shift to nuclear power as the basis, with a stable supply of fossil fuels and new energy to fill the gap.
“On the consumer side, it is expected that the development of new energy vehicles and other electricity-replacing oil industries will further accelerate.”Dong XiuchengAdded.
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