China as the next energy chokepoint

Geopolitical risk is migrating: after decades in which the Strait of Hormuz concentrated oil‑market vulnerability, future systemic bottlenecks will centre on China — its ports, coastal sea lanes, and dominance in processing and manufacturing of critical energy inputs. That makes Chinese maritime access and industrial nodes strategic levers for global energy and supply‑chain disruption. — If true, democracies must reorient energy security, naval posture, and supply‑chain policy toward Pacific chokepoints and industrial dependencies, not just Middle East pipelines and tankers.