“I want to buy a Chinese electric vehicle!” Exclusive interview with two former leaders of developed countries: how to respond to the Middle East energy crisis

Everyday Business News reporter | Zhang Huaishui    Editor of Every Day Business News | Liao Dan

In recent days, the escalation of the U.S.-Iran war has triggered a sharp global surge in energy prices, putting pressure on the global economy.

During the 2026 annual meeting of the Boao Forum for Asia, reporters from The Daily Economic News (hereinafter NBD) interviewed former President of Slovenia Türk and former Prime Minister of New Zealand Hipple. Slovenia is an EU member state and a high-income economy; New Zealand is a developed economy in the Commonwealth. Both countries have been recognized as developed economies by international institutions such as the United Nations and the IMF (International Monetary Fund).

Both of these former leaders of developed countries expressed deep concern over the current Middle East situation tightening and pushing up energy prices. They believe that an energy transition is urgently needed, and they highly recognize China’s global leading position in the fields of photovoltaic power and new energy vehicles.

Türk stated even more explicitly: “Right now I’m driving a Toyota. Previously I drove a Volvo. In the future, I plan to switch to an electric vehicle. I will definitely choose a Chinese brand, because there are so many available models.”

AI is driving exponential growth in energy demand, and more solutions need to be explored in the photovoltaic sector

NBD: How do you view the impact of the U.S.-Iran war on the global energy landscape? Will it accelerate the global move away from fossil fuels?

**Hipple: **Affected by the situation in the Middle East, what the world is generally worried about right now is that energy prices will continue to rise. But what I care about more is: what is the fundamental driving force pushing energy demand upward? At present, one important reason is the boom in AI (artificial intelligence) and digital industries. Data centers need to consume a large amount of electricity, and in the future, quantum computing will cause energy demand to grow exponentially, doubling. Countries are competing to attract data centers to be built, which further drives up energy prices.

We see that China is not only making breakthroughs in new energy technologies such as nuclear power, but is also globally leading in solar technologies. Many countries, including New Zealand, are using Chinese technology to build solar power plants. New energy not only provides new energy supply, but also aligns strongly with sustainable development, which is crucial for the future energy landscape.

There’s no denying that energy prices are rising continuously, and this has already made it difficult for some governments and people in some countries to afford them. Therefore, it is necessary for the technology community to develop greener, more cost-effective technologies to produce more energy using the same—if not fewer—resources. In this regard, we see that China’s economic and social development has brought about greater electricity and energy consumption, but at the same time, China also has strong innovation capabilities in new energy, leading to a relatively balanced overall development. So, against the backdrop of volatility in the international energy landscape, we hope to hear more voices from China and see more Chinese solutions.

**Türk: **As for oil price increases, this is a situation nobody wants to see, and it also shouldn’t have happened. Fundamentally, it is a major mistake. The rise in oil prices is a negative consequence caused by the United States and Israel taking military action against Iran. The outbreak of war and unrest in the Middle East is something the entire world does not want to see. What the international community truly hopes for is to achieve a ceasefire and stabilize the oil market.

Although we have been vigorously developing new energy such as photovoltaic power and renewables, the world’s dependence on oil is still very high at present. So we must remain cautious regarding energy issues.

China is the global leader in the photovoltaic sector. Whether it is the manufacturing and production capability of photovoltaic products or the level of their real-world applications, it is at the forefront of the world. I myself have also visited in person—such as going to places like the Kubuqi Desert—where I saw with my own eyes that a large number of photovoltaic panels and photovoltaic projects have been built locally, and at the same time many trees have been planted to combat desertification in this way. As a result, besides effectively controlling desertification and improving the ecological environment, it can also boost agricultural development while also protecting northern Chinese cities. Therefore, we should build on photovoltaic products and photovoltaic technologies to explore more integrated utilization approaches, and China has already taken the lead in this area.

I believe the problem now is that China and the EU need to reach consensus on cooperation and application in photovoltaic products, and coordinate their respective domestic production capacities. The two sides need to further and more deeply discuss production capacity issues.

At present, China is significantly increasing the scale of new energy utilization and actively developing photovoltaic power, wind power, and other types of new energy. Under the current energy situation, this is work that must be advanced. China and the EU should join hands, clarify what each side actually needs in terms of photovoltaic products.

The Middle East situation has led to higher fuel costs, which is clearly hitting middle- and low-income households

NBD: The Middle East crisis has caused international oil prices to rise. What considerations do you have for your country’s energy security?

**Hipple: **New Zealand’s economy currently depends highly on exports. With only about 5 million people nationwide, the products produced domestically are far more than what we ourselves need. A large portion of these products must be exported to countries around the world. Therefore, the supply chain is crucial for us—especially fuel supply, which is even more of a top priority for New Zealand.

Rising international crude oil prices have led to higher domestic gasoline and diesel prices, which is especially evident in the impact on middle- and low-income households in New Zealand. To address this, the government has already rolled out a “supplementary payments” program, providing eligible families with a one-year subsidy to help them cope with the increased cost of living caused by higher fuel prices. After tensions in the Middle East, fuel costs have risen further, and such subsidies are very necessary to maintain people’s day-to-day lives.

At the same time, we are also working hand in hand with global partners to stabilize the supply chain together. On the Middle East issue, although New Zealand has taken a relatively low-key stance, it has also consistently spoken out in a responsible manner, calling on all parties to stay calm, strengthen cooperation, and jointly find solutions.

NBD: You just mentioned that the Middle East energy crisis has made everyone realize the importance of energy transition. For the EU, including your country, is energy transition a “mandatory subject”?

**Türk: **First of all, it must be made clear that the EU not only needs to serve the services sector and agriculture, but also needs industrial products. Promoting industrial manufacturing and modernization is an important direction for the EU’s future development. From a long-term geopolitical perspective, the EU will still be a key center for China’s manufacturing cooperation and market. Therefore, China and the EU should not focus only on competition; they should instead place greater emphasis on coordination and cooperation at the policy level.

My visit to China has given me a strong impression: China’s electric vehicle development momentum is strong. It not only has a broad future in China, but also has huge potential in Europe. Therefore, energy transition is a must-answer question for the EU. China and the EU urgently need to build a cooperation framework at the technology level, so as to help the electric vehicle industry develop better and, at the same time, drive development in related fields such as the labor market.

I believe that relevant policies still have some shortcomings at present. Chinese electric vehicles have already successfully entered the European market. For example, in Slovenia, in the past local people knew almost nothing about Chinese car brands, but now an increasing number of people are driving electric vehicles produced in China. So Chinese electric vehicles have every reason to go global. But during the process of going abroad, how to manage it and achieve balanced development requires joint efforts by companies on both sides of China and the EU to establish an appropriate cooperation framework.

As a former president of Slovenia, I previously drove a Volvo. After living in the United States for a long time, I sold the Volvo. After returning to Slovenia, I bought a Toyota. In the future, I plan to switch to an electric vehicle, and I will definitely choose a Chinese brand, because there are so many available models.

The new energy vehicle market has enormous potential, and China-EU cooperation is the only way

NBD: You just mentioned that in the future you plan to switch to an electric vehicle. In Slovenia, has everyone felt the pressure brought by rising oil prices?

**Türk: **Honestly, my family and I don’t rely heavily on fuel-powered cars, because we live in the city center and I basically walk to work. But overall, Slovenia still has a high dependence on cars, and many people also place great importance on whether they can own a car. This situation will most likely not change in the future. Therefore, we remain extremely sensitive to oil prices and oil supply.

Although Slovenia has sufficient oil reserves and the government says people don’t need to worry, the public sometimes does not fully believe such statements. Undeniably, higher oil prices have been passed through to the consumer end. In our country, what truly troubles people is those who need long-distance commuting. Many Slovenes live in towns or in the countryside. They have to drive early out and return late to work every day, and rising oil prices affect them significantly.

In addition, agricultural production also depends heavily on fuel. Farm machinery such as tractors needs gasoline and diesel, and farmers have started to worry whether fuel supply will be sufficient and whether it will affect normal farming.

NBD: Based on your description, Europe has also been thinking about energy transition for a long time. As China and the EU have achieved some progress in negotiations on electric vehicles this year, how do you view the potential of Chinese new energy vehicles in Europe, including the Slovenian market?

**Türk: **I’m not an expert in the new energy vehicle sector, but I can clearly see that Europe’s market demand for new energy vehicles is continuing to grow. This is undoubtedly a positive signal, and it will to a great extent help address the pressure rising oil prices place on governments and people. But the core issue is how to manage the market in a规范 and orderly way.

Chinese leaders have also repeatedly emphasized that cooperation should adhere to mutual benefit and win-win outcomes. It should benefit both China and Europe. China and the EU should jointly explore win-win paths for cooperation, always keeping win-win goals as the orientation.

There’s no denying that the new energy vehicle market has enormous potential. During cooperation, it is inevitable that there will be tendencies toward conservatism and exclusivity, but that is absolutely not the correct way to solve the problem. I firmly believe that in the future, both China and the EU will definitely find reasonable and feasible cooperation solutions.