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ConflictsChina

How the Iran war is turbocharging China's electric future

Melissa Chan
May 9, 2026

The Iran war has sparked the biggest energy shock yet, forcing Asia to rethink oil and gas. China's electrification push has made it the world's first "electro-state."

https://p.dw.com/p/5DVXq

Far from the the US-Iran conflict in and around the Strait of Hormuz, something striking is unfolding. Prompted by oil shortages and price hikes, countries are overhauling their energy strategies almost overnight — decisions that once took years are now made in weeks.

Sam Geall, an energy geopolitics expert, says regions from Asia to Europe are waking up to their dependence on imported fuels. Like Europe after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many are now racing toward renewables — not gradually, but at speed.