00:00Has Trump lost Asia to China?
00:02For at least a decade, countries across the continent have worried about growing too dependent
00:07on China.
00:08But the conflict in Iran turned that logic on its head because the countries that had
00:11bet on Chinese supply chains did much better than those that trusted America.
00:16Take Pakistan.
00:17It's always been very vulnerable to oil shocks because it imports almost all its energy.
00:22That country should have seen a full-blown economic and social implosion.
00:2618-hour power carts, angry crowds on the streets.
00:30But that hasn't happened.
00:31There were signs of stress, of course.
00:33Islamabad hiked fuel prices and shut off electricity for a few hours in the day.
00:38But compared to what happened there after Russia invaded Ukraine, or even what the Philippines
00:42were undergoing now, Pakistan showed remarkable resilience.
00:46And why?
00:46Chinese made solar panels.
00:48Pakistan has imported about 17 gigawatts of photovoltaics every year since 2024.
00:53In fact, a quarter of Pakistani households have now installed solar panels.
00:58It wasn't even that expensive.
00:59China had more solar panels than it needed.
01:02And by keeping tariffs low, Pakistan made those affordable for its citizens.
01:06Or look at Nepal.
01:07It has the second highest proportion of electric vehicles in the world.
01:10And they run on clean energy hydropower infrastructure that is partially financed by China.
01:17So needless to say, Nepal is far less worried about gas prices than its Asian neighbours.
01:22If the only option for these countries is depending upon a greedy China or a self-centered and
01:27erratic US, the choice is obvious.
01:30That may turn out to be the wrong call in the end.
01:32Truthfully, relying on China's goodwill may not turn out to be any safer.
01:36But right now, the takeaway for Asia is clear.
01:39It's China that will sell you the technology that lets you stop caring what the US does.
01:44And that would be a far greater geopolitical setback for the US than any loss of face from
01:50the current Iran crisis.
01:51Truthfully, it may be a無い by the European female energy hydropower.
01:51Truthfully, we'll be able to take over the European couple of countries.
01:51Truthfully, it's a very open source of strength.
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