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By Rodrigo Santos Andrade
China’s fossil fuel addiction exposes a strategic vulnerability | Asian Insider podcast
visibility comment0 event January 23, 2026 timer 06:00
Happenings in Venezuela, Iran have shone the spotlight on energy security
For January, host and deputy foreign editor Albert Wai teams up again with senior China correspondent Yew Lun Tian.
Dramatic developments in Venezuela and Iran, both important oil suppliers for China, have exposed Beijing’s vulnerability in terms of energy security.
Oil only accounts for around 18 per cent of China’s energy mix but most of this is imported.
While both regimes have enjoyed solid ties with Beijing, the reality is there is little China can do directly to preserve its interests there.
Domestically, China has achieved remarkable success in its clean energy transition. But the human cost of this effort, particularly when it comes to poorer communities, should not be underestimated.
Clean tech may have played a part in China’s soft power rise (BYD electric vehicles and solar panels are obvious examples), but there is no guarantee that this will translate into a stronger hand geopolitically.
Highlights (click/tap above):
0:00 Intro
2:02 Are China’s interests in Venezuela dead in the water?
4:21 Impacts of developments in Venezuela, Iran on upcoming Trump-Xi meeting
8:24 Is China prepared to use force to defend its energy security interests?
10:51 The human cost of China’s clean energy transition
14:55 Challenges in clean energy storage, distribution
19:42 Clean tech fuels China’s soft power rise
23:19 Existential survival instinct: Running out of energy
Read more: https://str.sg/tBih
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Host: Albert Wai ([email protected])
Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani
Executive producer: Ernest Luis
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