From Belt and Road to Belt Tightening: China’s Neighbours Get Cold Shoulder on Energy

An oil tanker is docked unloading crude oil at the port in Qingdao, in China's eastern Shandong province, on March 25, 2026. (Photo by CN-STR / AFP) / CHINA OUT
An oil tanker unloading crude oil at the Qingdao port, in China's eastern Shandong province, on March 25, 2026. Photo by CN-STR / AFP

By Joe Cash

As energy stress spreads across Southeast Asia, governments across the region are asking China to deliver on its pledges of closer energy security cooperation by freeing up now-banned exports of fertilizer and fuel.

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