Just recently, Vietnam made a request to China to transfer power technology to Vietnam and share its experience in the power industry. As soon as this news came out, it immediately aroused huge concern in the international community. Why did Vietnam suddenly show such a keen interest in China's power technology? Should China accede to such a request?
In the final analysis, Vietnam wants to acquire China's power technology, mainly because Vietnam has been facing a shortage of electricity supply for a long time.
We all know that in recent years, with the transfer of low-end industries to Southeast Asia, Vietnam's economic development has been rapid, which has brought huge power demand. Moreover, industrialization and urbanization are also accelerating, and the demand for industrial electricity and residential electricity has increased significantly.
According to the Vietnam Power Group, Vietnam's electricity demand is growing at an astonishing 10% per year. But at the same time, Vietnam's power infrastructure construction has not kept up with this growth, resulting in a growing power shortage.
The lack of electricity supply not only affects the daily life of the people, but also poses a major obstacle to Vietnam's industrial development. Especially in the summer, when the demand for electricity surged, some factories in Vietnam had to reduce production or even stop production. This is undoubtedly a huge blow to Vietnam, which is in a critical period of development.
In addition, electricity is the lifeblood of modern industry, and Vietnam, as an ambitious country, certainly does not want to put its lifeblood in the hands of other countries. In other words, even if buying electricity from China can meet Vietnam's needs, Vietnam will sooner or later want to get China's power technology.
Moreover, as the world's largest electricity producer and a leader in clean energy technology, China's advanced experience in electricity is undoubtedly an ideal partner in the eyes of Vietnam.
So, in the face of Vietnam's request, should China accede to it?
In my opinion, this is a matter of both opportunities and challenges. Vietnam's electricity market is extensive, and increasing power cooperation with Vietnam will also have certain benefits for China's investment in Vietnam's industries. However, this is all based on the situation of selling electricity to Vietnam, and the transfer of power technology is still a careful choice.
After all, China's power technology is the result of years of independent research and development and huge investment, and is an important asset of the country. Vietnam easily wants China to transfer, and from the perspective of economic interests, this is not easy.
Second, there is a lot of friction between Vietnam and China. Especially in the South China Sea, Vietnam still occupies China's islands and reefs. Some time ago, China announced the baselines of the territorial waters of the Beibu Gulf, which was originally a matter without any controversy, but Vietnam expressed its dissatisfaction, saying that they wanted China to abide by the agreement on the delimitation of the Beibu Gulf reached between China and Vietnam.
Therefore, from a geopolitical point of view, China should also be more cautious.