“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

Editor-in-chief of

Over the past few days, the escalation of the Iran-U.S. war has driven a global surge in energy prices, disrupting the global economy.

During the 2026 annual meeting of the Boao Forum for Asia, reporters from the Daily Economic News (hereinafter referred to as 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 Commonwealth economy. Both countries have been recognized by international institutions such as the United Nations and the IMF (International Monetary Fund) as developed economies.

Both of these former leaders of developed countries expressed deep concern about how the currently tense situation in the Middle East has pushed up energy prices. They believe an energy transition is urgently needed, and they highly recognize China’s global leading position in the photovoltaic and new energy vehicle sectors.

Türk stated even more explicitly: “Right now, I drive 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 to choose from.”

AI-driven energy demand is growing exponentially, and more solutions need to be explored in the photovoltaic sector

NBD: How do you view the impact of the Iran-U.S. 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 concerned about right now is that energy prices will keep rising. But what I care about even more is: what is the fundamental driver pushing energy demand upward? At present, one important reason is the boom in AI (artificial intelligence) and the digital industry. Data centers need to consume a large amount of electricity, and in the future, quantum computing will make energy demand grow exponentially, doubling. Countries are racing to attract data centers to set up operations, which further pushes up energy prices.

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

There is no denying that energy prices are rising continuously, to the point where some governments and people in some countries can hardly afford it. Therefore, the technology community needs to develop greener, more cost-effective technologies to produce more energy using the same—or even 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 its new energy innovation capabilities are also very strong, resulting in a fairly 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: **When it comes to oil prices rising—this is a situation that nobody wants to see, and one that should not have occurred in the first place. Fundamentally, it is a major mistake. The rise in oil prices is an adverse consequence caused by the United States and Israel taking military action against Iran. When war and turmoil break out in the Middle East, that is something the whole 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 photovoltaics and renewables, the world’s dependence on oil remains very high. So we must remain cautious on energy issues.

China is a global leader in the photovoltaic sector. Whether in terms of the production and manufacturing capacity of photovoltaic products or the level of their practical application, it is at the forefront of the world. I personally have also conducted field visits—such as going to places like the Kubuqi Desert—seeing firsthand that the area has built a large number of photovoltaic panels and photovoltaic projects, while also planting many trees to combat desertification in this way. As a result, it not only effectively controls desertification and improves the ecological environment, but also helps drive agricultural development, and at the same time protects northern Chinese cities. Therefore, we should build on photovoltaic products and photovoltaic technology to explore more integrated utilization solutions, and China has already taken the lead in this area.

I think the problem now is that China and the EU need to reach consensus on cooperation and application in photovoltaic products, coordinate their respective domestic production capacity, and further conduct in-depth discussions on the issue of production capacity.

China is currently greatly increasing the scale of new energy utilization and actively developing photovoltaics, 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 work together, and clarify what each side actually needs in terms of photovoltaic products.

The Middle East situation has led to rising fuel costs, which is hitting households with lower and middle incomes more clearly

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 is currently highly dependent on exports. We only have about 5 million people nationwide, and the products produced domestically are far more than what we need ourselves. Large quantities of products must be exported to all parts of the world. Therefore, supply chains are crucial for us—especially fuel supply, which is even more of a top priority for New Zealand.

When international crude oil prices rise, domestic gasoline and diesel prices also increase, which is particularly noticeable in the impact on lower- and middle-income households in New Zealand. To address this, the government has already rolled out a “top-up payments” program, providing related households with one-year subsidies to help them cope with the life pressure caused by rising fuel prices. After the tensions in the Middle East, fuel costs rise even further, making these kinds of subsidies very necessary to maintain people’s day-to-day lives.

At the same time, we are also joining hands with global partners to stabilize supply chains together. On the issue of the Middle East, although New Zealand takes a relatively low-key stance, it always speaks up in a responsible manner, calling on all sides to stay calm, strengthen cooperation, and work together to find solutions.

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

**Türk: **First, it must be made clear that the EU does not only need to serve the services sector and agriculture; it 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-EU relations should not focus only on competition; they should also place more importance on coordination and cooperation at the policy level.

One strong impression I have from coming to China is that China’s electric vehicle development momentum is strong. Not only is it promising in China, but it also has huge potential in Europe. Therefore, energy transition is a mandatory topic 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, also drive development in related areas such as the labor market.

I believe the relevant policies still have some shortcomings. 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 more and more people are driving electric vehicles produced in China. So Chinese electric vehicles have every reason to go global. But during the process of going overseas, how to manage it and achieve balanced development requires joint efforts by both Chinese and European companies to establish the corresponding 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 and returned to Slovenia, where 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 to choose from.

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

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 fuel prices?

**Türk: **My family and I are actually not highly dependent on gas-powered cars, because we live in the city center, and I basically walk to work. But overall, Slovenia still has a high dependence on automobiles, and many people also care a great deal about whether they can own a car. This situation will most likely not change in the future. Therefore, we remain very sensitive to oil prices and oil supply.

Although Slovenia has sufficient oil reserves and the government says people need not worry, sometimes the public does not fully trust such statements. There is no denying that oil price increases have been passed through to the consumer end. In our country, what really troubles people are those who need long-distance commuting. Many Slovenians live in towns or in the countryside, and they have to drive early in the morning and return late to work every day. Rising oil prices have a big impact on them.

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

NBD: Based on what you said, Europe has also been thinking about the energy transition. As China and the EU have achieved some progress in negotiations on electric vehicles this year, how do you view the potential of China’s new energy vehicles in Europe, including the market in Slovenia?

**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 continuously growing. That is definitely a positive signal, and it will to a large extent help address the pressure that rising oil prices bring to governments and the public. But the core issue is how to manage the market in a standardized, orderly way.

Chinese leaders have also repeatedly emphasized that cooperation should be guided by mutual benefit and win-win outcomes. It should benefit China as well as be favorable to Europe. China and the EU should jointly explore win-win cooperation paths, always oriented toward win-win results.

There is no denying that the new energy vehicle market has enormous potential. Conservative and exclusionary tendencies may inevitably emerge during the course of cooperation, but that is by no means the right way to solve the problem. I firmly believe that in the future, both China and the EU will be able to find reasonable and feasible cooperation solutions.