[Global Times Comprehensive Report] Editor's Note: Although there are signs of easing in the current Middle East situation, the energy awakening triggered by geopolitical shocks is irreversible. In the volatile international energy market, the green industry is becoming a new stabilizing force. From lighting up Pakistan with photovoltaic products to helping Vietnam turn waste into treasure with Chinese technology, and modern sewage treatment plants benefiting half of Mongolia's population... reporters from the Global Times will deeply observe the front lines of global green cooperation, documenting how Chinese wisdom assists various countries in addressing energy crises, improving ecological environments, and cultivating professional talent, and how the &#34;Chinese solution&#34; for green development crosses mountains and seas to take root globally. This issue of the &#34;Green Development Collection&#34; particularly notes that the logic of global energy transition seems to have fundamentally changed—more and more citizens in various countries are spontaneously purchasing electric vehicles and photovoltaic solar panels to reduce dependence on external oil resources... Represented by the &#34;new three items,&#34; China's green industry, leveraging scale and cost advantages, is transforming grand environmental protection initiatives into green &#34;hard currency&#34; for more families to withstand geopolitical fluctuations.
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In a factory in Pakistan, workers are installing solar panels on the roof. (Visual China)
&#34;As long as there is sunlight, I can grow watermelons&#34;
As a vital artery for about 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas, the operation of the Strait of Hormuz affects not only the global energy market but also the daily lives of many citizens in various countries. Severe fuel shortages, soaring oil prices, and the increasingly strained budgets of multiple governments are forcing some countries to implement strict austerity policies—from cutting flights to mandating remote work, the world is being compelled to embark on an experimental survival strategy to reduce oil dependence.
For Pakistan, which heavily relies on external energy inputs, 80% of its oil and the vast majority of its liquefied natural gas must be transported through the Strait of Hormuz. Against this backdrop, distributed photovoltaic equipment, which has been popularized in urban and rural areas of Pakistan in recent years, is playing a buffering role in energy, allowing millions of households to maintain basic electricity security during the crisis.
In the remote village of Dasht in Balochistan, Pakistan, farmer Karim Baksh was once deeply mired in the fuel crisis. For many years, his crops relied on a diesel-powered water pump to draw water from underground for irrigation. According to Al Jazeera, since the first surge in fuel prices triggered by the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, Baksh has found it increasingly difficult to afford the expensive diesel needed for daily use. &#34;It has become impossible to run the water pump on diesel every day,&#34; he said. Due to the lack of water, his watermelon fields began to wither. In certain seasons, he had to reduce the area under cultivation. &#34;Without water, there are no crops; without crops, there is no income,&#34; he added.
Then in 2023, he made a decision that seemed quite risky at the time: he borrowed 300,000 Pakistani Rupees (100 Pakistani Rupees is approximately 2.4 Chinese Yuan) from friends and family to install a row of solar panels next to his fields
Three years later, this &#34;gamble&#34; has paid off. &#34;Now, I don't care if diesel prices go up,&#34; he proudly pointed to the blazing sun above, &#34;as long as there is sunshine, I can grow watermelons.&#34;
Such stories are not uncommon in Pakistan. From the skies above cities like Lahore and Islamabad, one can see a unique landscape—rooftops of varying heights covered with blue solar panels. Even in rural areas, solar panels are ubiquitous, with 95% of these photovoltaic components imported from China.
According to observations by a special correspondent from the Global Times in Pakistan, after millions of people in Pakistan experienced multiple power outages in 2022, there has been a growing awareness of solar energy as an alternative. With the decreasing costs of solar panels and government incentive policies, solar energy has become a necessity for survival in rural areas where electricity supply is unstable. Data from global energy think tank Ember shows that from 2021 to 2025, the share of solar power generation in Pakistan has increased fivefold. It is these solar panels spread across urban and rural areas of this South Asian country that help it withstand the energy crisis triggered by the situation in the Middle East.
Hassanbi, a farmer in rural Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, told reporters that against the backdrop of high electricity costs, the installation cost of solar panels can be recouped in 2 to 3 years. Moreover, due to their high quality and practicality, Hassanbi said that in local villages, a Chinese solar panel can even be considered as part of a dowry, &#34;practical, novel, and modern.&#34;
The widespread application of solar energy has somewhat reduced the country's vulnerability in the face of the energy crisis. Nabia Imran, a partner at the energy and environmental think tank Renewables First, stated that although conflicts in the Middle East will inevitably bring certain impacts, the promotion of distributed solar energy in Pakistan has played a buffering role in alleviating the energy crisis. Imran bluntly said, &#34;If Pakistan had not developed solar energy, the situation could have been much worse.&#34;
Back in Dasht, Baksh is busy loading fruits onto pickups and trucks for delivery to nearby markets. Despite the fluctuating fuel prices and uncertainties in downstream transportation, the certainty of his production is now in his own hands, no longer constrained by the turbulent global situation. &#34;No matter what happens, water will always flow to the fields.&#34;
Surge in Sales of Electric Vehicles and Photovoltaic Products
In the face of volatile oil prices and supply gaps, governments and businesses in multiple countries are beginning to recalculate their energy &#34;accounts.&#34; The transformation taking place in the fields of Pakistan is rapidly converging into a global wave of energy transition.
In Laos, due to fuel shortages, over 40% of gas stations nationwide have announced suspensions of operations, with long lines forming at gas stations in several regions, where many people wait for hours to fill up with just a few liters of fuel. Against this backdrop, Chinese electric two-wheelers have unexpectedly surged in popularity. In a store in the center of Vientiane, several Chinese electric vehicle brands were even sold out at one point, leading to a supply shortage.
The Hong Kong newspaper &#34;Bus Daily&#34; quoted a representative from an electric motorcycle company in Jiangmen, Guangdong Province, China, stating that the company's inventory in the Southeast Asian market is nearly sold out and urgent restocking is needed. &#34;Recently, the order volume has increased significantly. In March alone, we exported over 6,000 electric bicycles, and the shipment volume in April will exceed 7,000 units.&#34;
&#34;Our production orders have been scheduled until July.&#34;
&#34;In recent years, China's electric vehicles have shown strong growth momentum in markets such as Australia, and before the current crisis erupted, the electric two-wheeler market in Southeast Asia had already expanded rapidly,&#34; said Tan Hao, a professor of management at the University of Nottingham Ningbo. &#34;The recent rise in oil prices will further accelerate this trend.&#34;
Not only in the electric mobility sector, the transformation of renewable energy applications has significantly accelerated in multiple regions. According to Reuters, from Indonesia to Uruguay, electric vehicle sales continue to soar, with the pace of adoption far exceeding that of the United States. In India, concerns over gas supply security have led to a significant increase in sales of induction cookers. In some developing countries, the installed capacity of photovoltaics has entered a period of rapid growth. In Nigeria, more and more households and businesses are abandoning backup generators in favor of solar systems. Governments in several European countries are also increasing investments in renewable energy. Germany recently launched an €8 billion plan aimed at expanding wind power generation capacity and subsidizing electric vehicle sales.
Today, the global preference for green energy is not solely driven by environmental consciousness but because they have become the most economical choice on the books. The sharp decline in the costs of solar panels and wind turbines in recent years has accelerated this transformation. A report by the United Nations last year pointed out that over 90% of new renewable energy projects globally have power generation costs lower than traditional fossil fuels.
In this cost revolution, Chinese manufacturing plays a key &#34;toolbox&#34; role. Research from the think tank platform VoxEU shows that thanks to the scale effects and technological advancements of China's photovoltaic production capacity, the cost of photovoltaic power generation has been reduced by more than 90% in just a decade (2004-2013). This change has fundamentally reshaped the logic of global energy acquisition, enabling clean energy to compete with fossil fuels and significantly helping other countries reduce carbon emissions.
Khaled, an economics professor and energy expert at Helwan University in Egypt, stated in an interview with the Global Times on the 8th: &#34;When oil prices are pushed up by war, the sun in the desert becomes more reliable.&#34; He believes that the energy shocks triggered by the situation in the Middle East are forcing developing countries to rethink energy security. In Khaled's view, the reality is clear: &#34;Oil determines risk, while the sun determines confidence.&#34;
&#34;China has become a safe super lever to leverage the energy landscape&#34;
&#34;Renewable energy and its related technologies are increasingly being seen as tools for energy security,&#34; said Eskrivan, a senior researcher on energy and climate at the Elcano Royal Institute in Madrid, in an interview with CNBC. He stated that after the conflicts in the Middle East, countries' views on renewable energy will &#34;definitely&#34; change. Today, the transition to clean energy is no longer just a simple environmental choice but is increasingly seen as a path to enhance domestic energy security.
An analysis report released by Ember last December showed that &#34;electrification-related technologies,&#34; covering solar energy, wind energy, batteries, as well as electrified transportation, heating, and industry, have become the main driving force behind global energy growth last year, largely due to China becoming the world's first &#34;electrified nation.&#34;
Ember research manager Sloss compared this transformation trend with Europe's previous energy transition. In his view, just as the Ukraine crisis forced Europe to reduce its dependence on natural gas, the turmoil in the Strait of Hormuz will drive Asia to lower its reliance on oil. The difference is that the available technology will come at a lower cost this time. Just in terms of electric vehicles alone, it could save importing countries over $600 billion in oil expenditures each year. Sloss described this shift as a &#34;security super-leverage&#34; that can pry open the energy landscape.
For countries with limited economic reserves, such as Pakistan, this &#34;leverage&#34; comes at just the right time. Lin Boqiang, director of the China Energy Policy Research Institute at Xiamen University, stated in an interview with the Global Times on the 8th that China's green energy solutions can precisely address the challenges faced by countries that are highly susceptible to international oil crises and fall into energy shortages. This is not only about the demand for a green and low-carbon transition but, more importantly, green energy is essentially a form of domestic energy. This sense of security is not far-fetched; the advantage of the Chinese solution lies in its rapid deployment—completion can be achieved in as little as six months, making it the most effective way to respond to energy shortages in the short term.
Lin Boqiang believes that the disruption of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz will prompt multiple countries to readjust their energy strategies. The &#34;wind-solar-storage + electric vehicle&#34; green energy development path explored by China ensures energy security while also considering green transition. The maturity of this model provides a feasible reference for the global response to the energy crisis.
This may not just be a temporary &#34;substitute.&#34; U.S. magazine Fortune analyzed that the oil embargo of the 1970s led American drivers to switch to fuel-efficient Japanese cars, and they never returned to American cars afterward. Sustained price surges may lead to a permanent change in consumption patterns—when high oil prices force households and businesses to complete the fundamental switch from fuel to electricity, the &#34;demand destruction&#34; for old energy has already substantially occurred.
A brand new development path is clearly visible. Ember head Darren Walther stated, &#34;People once believed that economic development had to rely on fossil fuels, but the current energy crisis has once again exposed the fragility of this path, especially for emerging economies that spend billions of dollars each year importing fuel.&#34; He also emphasized, &#34;Unlike before, there is now a viable alternative path: electrification technology is not only cheaper, more accessible, and easier to scale, but it also offers vast prospects for energy independence and energy abundance, thus providing momentum for economic growth.&#34;
【Global Times reporters Xiao Zhendong, Li Xundian, Global Times correspondent in Egypt Huang Peizhao, Global Times special correspondent in Pakistan Huang Xiaona】

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Chinese photovoltaic products play an important role in the global energy crisis, helping multiple countries reduce their dependence on oil. With the changes in the situation in the Middle East, the green industry has become a new stabilizing force. Countries such as Pakistan, Vietnam, and Mongolia are improving their ecological environment through Chinese technology, promoting the adoption of electric vehicles and photovoltaic solar panels. Distributed photovoltaic systems in Pakistan provide power security for millions of households, becoming an effective means to address fuel shortages

Chinese photovoltaic products help multiple countries withstand the oil crisis