The impact of the Hormuz impasse on Asia: A case study on the Philippines

The Strait of Hormuz crisis triggered a global scramble for energy, with Southeast Asia among the first regions affected. No country in the region is more reliant on Gulf-originating crude and liquid fuels than the Philippines. Emergency sourcing prevented shortages, but this dependency caused severe social and economic disruption nationwide.

The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz shows how fundamental energy security and feedstock diversification are to sovereignty in a multipolar world. The strait’s closure played very differently in three of Asia’s key economies. China’s enormous reserves insulated the chokepoint shock, as Japan depends more on US energy. Vietnam, dependent on Gulf ethylene, naphtha, and crude oil to supply both the US and China, may now turn to Chinese renewables and EVs.

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