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– This is the weekky script of CNBC's financial news report for China's CCTV on March 13, 2026.
Lee Jae Myung
Our first Person of the Week is South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.
This week, Lee Jae Myung said frankly that the situation in the Middle East has already placed a heavy burden on South Korea's economy. South Korea is highly dependent on trade and also relies heavily on energy imports from the Middle East. About 70% of the country's crude oil imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz. In response to the impact of surging oil prices, Lee Jae Myung announced several measures this week. One of them was the introduction of a price cap on fuel products. This is the first time in nearly 30 years that South Korea has imposed limits on domestic fuel prices.
Lee also urged government officials this week to quickly prepare a supplementary budget to support vulnerable groups. His remarks reflected a sense of urgency. He said that under normal procedures the process usually takes one to two months but insisted the work must be completed much faster. "Even if it means staying up all night, we have to get it done," he said, adding that now is not the time to think about weekends and that the timeline must be compressed as much as possible.
Vincent Clerc
Disruptions in shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have also had a clear impact on the global shipping industry. Next, we turn to a representative figure from the shipping sector — Vincent Clerc, CEO of the Danish shipping giant Maersk. This week, he warned about the ripple effects caused by rising shipping costs. With shipping lanes disrupted, several shipping companies, including Maersk, have now been forced to reroute vessels around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa. That means longer voyages and naturally higher costs.
Clerc said these additional costs amount to about $200 per 20-foot container, meaning freight rates on some routes could rise by roughly 15% to 20%. Those increases will gradually be passed down from shipping companies to their clients and ultimately to consumers. Clerc also said another major challenge facing the shipping industry is ensuring that food supply chains continue to operate smoothly, making sure food reaches supermarket shelves rather than being delayed on ships or stuck in ports where it could spoil. He therefore called for the restoration of free navigation through the shipping lanes as soon as possible.
Peter steinberger
Our final Person of the Week is Peter Steinberger, the Austrian programmer and founder of the AI agent OpenClaw.
He is also known as the "father of the crayfish." Many people today have mixed feelings about the so-called "crayfish" — it can serve as a helpful assistant, but when something goes wrong it can also become troublesome. Regardless, we have clearly entered a new stage in the development of artificial intelligence. Steinberger's story of creating OpenClaw also prompts people to rethink where entrepreneurial and creative inspiration may come from in the age of AI agents, perhaps from more human places, such as emotions and personal experiences.
Steinberger sold his PDF formatted company he founded in 2023 and then took about three years off. Last April, he began to think about creating a personal AI assistant. But by November, none of the major tech companies had built the product he had in mind, which left him feeling frustrated. Driven by that frustration, he spent just one hour creating the prototype of OpenClaw.
Some people have asked why he succeeded when so many companies are working on AI agents. Steinberger's answer is simple: other companies are too serious, while he just wanted to make something fun. As he puts it, it's hard to compete with someone who is simply playing. That mindset also shaped his next decision. He could have turned OpenClaw into a large company, but instead he chose to join OpenAI. He says what he really wants to do is change the world, not build a corporate giant.
That wraps up this week's People of the Week. We will continue to follow these developments.
