Energy for peace
Eastern Asia is not a spectator of Middle East politics, but a silent actor that helps regulate flows, markets, and alliances. Energy’s role as the grammar of international politics means it can represent a vector of cooperation and stability
T
he Gaza Peace Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh—drawing leaders and delegations from North America to the Indo-Pacific, with Europe and the Middle East in between—was more than another diplomatic gathering. The rebuilding of Gaza will demand stable power: for cranes and concrete mixers, for hospitals, for water systems and basic infrastructure. Wherever peace takes root, it grows on a foundation of energy.
And here, a subtle shift was visible. Eastern Asia with Indonesia among the participants in Egypt—has emerged as an unexpected center of gravity in this new geopolitical moment. According to the International Energy Agency’s Gas Market Report 2025, the Asia-Pacific region now accounts for more than 70 percent of projected global gas demand growth by 2030. Across APEC economies—China, Japan, South Korea, India, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia—liquefied natural gas is not just fuel. It is insurance. It is strategy. It is security.
The summit at Sharm el-Sheikh thus outlined more than a peace plan for Gaza. It traced a new map of global stability—one that runs not only through the Levant but also across the sea lanes of Asia-Pacific, along the routes of LNG. Regional analyses from APERC and APEC underline how dependable gas flows and regasification capacity have become bulwarks against price shocks and essential tools in the energy transition, where gas serves as a bridge to cleaner power.
LNG today is at once a commodity, an infrastructure, and an instrument of diplomacy. The stability of the Middle East can no longer be considered separately from the energy chains that bind it to the Pacific Rim. The Eastern Asia is not a passive observer of Middle Eastern politics but a quiet co-author, helping to regulate flows, markets, and alliances.
Whoever controls the terminals, signs the contracts, and manages the distribution networks does more than govern gas—they hold the keys to stability itself. Once again, energy speaks the language of international politics. And once again, it offers the chance—if we can seize it—for cooperation and peace. That, ultimately, is the message of Sharm el-Sheikh.