Of walls, windmills and power lines: China’s long-term energy strategy

China is now the undisputed leader in renewable-energy manufacturing worldwide. Yet along the routes of its Belt and Road Initiative – the largest foreign-investment strategy in history – alternative-clean-energy projects pale in comparison with coal-fired power plants. This has led many commentators to question Beijing’s commitment to renewable energy beyond its borders, but enormous Chinese investments in national and regional power transmission lines should not be overlooked. Grid developments, coupled with plummeting solar and wind prices, indicate that demand for large-scale clean-energy projects in developing countries will blossom. When it does, the BRI will bear fruit, putting China in the best position to achieve economic and national-security goals, as well as international commitments. Beijing is cementing lasting relationships with emerging alternative-energy markets while the United States withdraws from global climate-change solutions, giving literal meaning to the Chinese proverb, “As the winds of change blow, some people build walls, others build windmills.” Beijing is cementing lasting relationships with emerging alternative-energy markets while the United States withdraws from global climate-change solutions, giving literal meaning to the Chinese proverb, ‘As the winds of change blow, some people build walls, others build windmills’ On paper, the BRI strongly supports clean energy, but commitments […]

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