The world needs a stable Asia – East and West – and would be better served by the removal of the current Iranian regime. Only in the removal of said regime will Beijing be forced back into a more constrained, less opportunistic global role.
Pakistan has confirmed an agreement with Iranian authorities allowing 20 Pakistani-flagged vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz. It is a development presented by Islamabad as a step towards substantially easing the nation's energy disruption.
Three quarters of the world's population live in fossil importing countries and bleed out at least 3% of GDP every year to import oil to run their cars and power plants.
Natural gas prices have already doubled since the start of the war in the Middle East and are expected to rise higher as the last of Qatar’s LNG exports arrive at their destinations. Now everyone is switching to coal.
From South Korea to Indonesia to Bangladesh, governments are increasingly turning back to coal-fired power generation to help offset a widening shortfall in LNG imports.
The war involving the United States, Israel and Iran has sent a delayed shockwave through global energy markets and nowhere is the impact more acute than at petrol pumps across Asia.
Malaysia has emerged as one of Southeast Asia’s top-performing markets as the war in Iran drives energy prices higher and pushes global investors towards economies better positioned to weather volatility.
China is also increasing its purchases from Russia, with imports estimated at 1.2mn to 1.5mn tonnes – primarily for use as a substitute feedstock in refineries.
The Philippines is currently navigating a perilous and largely overlooked period of economic vulnerability: its national fuel supply could run out in around three to four weeks if international imports don't arrive soon.
Sri Lanka has designated every Wednesday a public holiday to conserve fuel as the country confronts the risk of supply shortages.