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The price of letting others control our energy (canadiandimension.com)
submitted 5 hours ago by yogthos@lemmy.ml to c/canada@lemmy.ca
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[-] Sepia@mander.xyz 2 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

The Iran war shows how risky reliance on oil is.

The same is certainly true for renewables and all other critical parts of the economy.

It's good that Canada started to build supply chains for critical minerals with democratic allies, for example. The dependence on China here is a threat to Canada's (and all other allied states') national security.

[Edit typo.]

[-] yogthos@lemmy.ml 1 points 4 hours ago

While Canada should absolutely invest in domestic supply chains and self sufficiency, there's a big difference here. Once you've bought and installed the solar infrastructure from China, it operates domestically. There is no threat to Canada's national security here. Once that initial infrastructure is imported, Canada has time to figure out how to develop its own going forward.

[-] Sepia@mander.xyz 2 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

Batteries, wind turbines, solar panels, EVs - all these are no longer just mechanical assets but rather connected systems. These connectivities create new exposure for consumers and governments in democratic states.

As one report, It’s Time to Treat China’s Connected Energy Systems As a National Security Risk, says,

Foreign automakers and energy operators relying on Chinese batteries are not just importing physical components; they are importing foreign-controlled code that dictates how critical assets operate, and that may be updated based on a vendor’s schedules, through vendor platforms, and under vendor policies.

There is ample evidence that China poses a threat to other states' security, as well as many examples that China uses leverage for economic and political coercion.

It's also important to note the risk of forced labour in Chinese suppky chains.

[-] yogthos@lemmy.ml -2 points 3 hours ago

There is actually zero evidence that China poses any threats to other states. It hasn't been at war since the 70s, it doesn't engage in regime change operations, coups, invasions, and occupations. Pretty much all the countries that chose to trade with China have benefited from that significantly. That's the real world.

The only ample evidence we have is that propagandists in the west are really good at manipulating opinions of people who are unable to engage their critical faculties.

It is also important to note the very real, and well documented, forced labour in Canadian supply chains.

[-] Sepia@mander.xyz 2 points 3 hours ago

What sources regarding China do you read?

this post was submitted on 29 Mar 2026
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