https://www.scmp.com/rss/328527/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com He Huifeng He Huifeng China has broken ground on a 50-megawatt concentrated solar power plant in Tibet at an altitude of 4,550 metres (14,900 feet), making it the world’s highest-altitude parabolic trough solar thermal facility. The project, located in Dangxiong County, incorporates a 400-megawatt photovoltaic system and is scheduled for full operation by 2027, Xinhua reported. Preparatory digging at the site began on Monday. Global energy supplies have grown increasingly volatile in recent years, due to climate... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3349255/china-starts-work-solar-plant-built-under-extreme-conditions-amid-global-energy-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3349255/china-starts-work-solar-plant-built-under-extreme-conditions-amid-global-energy-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2026 10:58:07 +0000 Mandy Zuo,Mia Nurmamat Mandy Zuo,Mia Nurmamat A Shanghai-based start-up claims to have mastered a technique for producing synthetic petroleum at low cost from air and water, as China intensifies efforts to develop alternatives to traditional fossil fuels amid the US-Israel war against Iran. Carbonology announced it had created a process for converting carbon dioxide extracted from air and water into artificial fuel using solar and wind energy, Chinese media outlet Cailianshe reported on Tuesday. The company – co-founded by a former... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346892/unlimited-gas-chinese-firm-claims-it-can-produce-petroleum-air-and-water?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346892/unlimited-gas-chinese-firm-claims-it-can-produce-petroleum-air-and-water?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 10:00:16 +0000 Xinyi Wu,Ji Siqi Xinyi Wu,Ji Siqi Beijing is launching a pilot programme to expand industrial use of hydrogen energy, at a time when war in the Middle East is exposing the risks of global reliance on fossil fuels. Iran’s effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz amid its war with the United States and Israel – now in its third week – has disrupted oil and gas supplies, prompting some nations to re-examine their energy mix, with renewables emerging as a potential hedge against volatility. In a Monday notice, the Ministry of... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346850/china-targets-hydrogen-push-strait-hormuz-crisis-jolts-energy-markets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346850/china-targets-hydrogen-push-strait-hormuz-crisis-jolts-energy-markets?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 06:03:05 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang Against the backdrop of oil prices surging past US$100 per barrel for the first time since the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, China has its sights set on strengthening energy security by stabilising domestic crude production and strategic backups – exemplified by coal-to-oil and gas projects – for the next few years. The nation pledges to maintain annual crude production at 200 million tonnes, ensure a steady rise in natural gas output, and bolster technical readiness for coal-derived... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3345995/china-vows-stabilise-oil-and-gas-output-new-5-year-plan-global-risks-mount?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3345995/china-vows-stabilise-oil-and-gas-output-new-5-year-plan-global-risks-mount?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 14:30:07 +0000 David Dodwell David Dodwell As the world’s largest oil and gas importer, China undoubtedly faces a significant disruption, what with the US-Israeli war on Iran and its cascading impact across the Gulf. But it could have been worse. Beijing has worked unstintingly for well over a decade to build energy self-reliance and reduce the role of fossil fuels in powering the country’s manufacturing economy. For leaders gathered in Beijing for the annual parliamentary “two sessions” meetings, which will endorse China’s 15th... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3345607/chinas-energy-transition-proves-boon-iran-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3345607/chinas-energy-transition-proves-boon-iran-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Mar 2026 08:30:07 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial In 2022, the world’s largest electric cruise ship embarked on its maiden voyage in Yichang, Hubei province. The Yangtze River Three Gorges 1, which can carry up to 1,300 passengers, runs on battery power and can reportedly save 530 tonnes of fuel and 1,660 tonnes of harmful emissions per year. The vessel displayed the commercial and technical feasibility of electric ships. China is the world’s largest shipbuilder and the pre-eminent manufacturer of electric vehicles and advanced batteries. Now,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3345393/china-steps-its-clean-energy-push-electric-ships?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3345393/china-steps-its-clean-energy-push-electric-ships?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 22:45:08 +0000 Ling Xin Ling Xin China should accelerate development of a space-based solar power station, as the technology could one day do far more than beam clean energy to Earth, it might even help tame typhoons, according to a senior Chinese engineer. Duan Baoyan, the lead scientist behind the ambitious “Zhuri” project – which aims to hold a megawatt-class demonstration in the Earth’s orbit by 2030 – said microwave beams generated by such a station to transmit electricity back to Earth could potentially be directed to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3345240/change-typhoon-intensity-and-path-china-team-mulls-hitting-cyclones-space-beam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3345240/change-typhoon-intensity-and-path-china-team-mulls-hitting-cyclones-space-beam?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 09:00:10 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings Chinese companies are primed to capitalise on a vast global wave of investment in clean energy infrastructure in the coming decades, as they are able to deploy solutions at a scale and cost that few can match, analysts said. With China already rolling out green technologies – from wind and solar power to electric cars and batteries – at a massive scale domestically, its firms have the resources and know-how that other countries need to reduce their reliance on coal-fired power plants and... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3344902/china-poised-earn-vast-profits-global-energy-transition-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3344902/china-poised-earn-vast-profits-global-energy-transition-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 08:00:09 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu In the latest sign of China’s push to channel private capital into infrastructure, several local governments have begun actively seeking private investors for two major ultra-high-voltage power line projects – the first schemes of their kind to open up to non-state funding since a Beijing directive encouraging the practice last November. China is building a series of vast power lines to funnel clean energy from its resource-rich but sparsely populated western regions to power-hungry industrial... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3343495/chinese-power-line-projects-seek-private-capital-sign-infrastructure-shift?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3343495/chinese-power-line-projects-seek-private-capital-sign-infrastructure-shift?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Feb 2026 13:00:11 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang Beijing has issued a central directive to dismantle the administrative walls dividing China’s electricity sector, signalling a decisive shift towards a unified national power market designed to support the country’s energy security and green transition. A decade into its power-sector overhaul, China is doubling down on market unity during the just-started 15th five-year planning period. These structural shifts are widely seen as indispensable to the nation’s 2030 carbon-peak target, as the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3343329/china-dismantle-local-power-protectionism-push-electrify-national-grid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3343329/china-dismantle-local-power-protectionism-push-electrify-national-grid?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Feb 2026 12:30:14 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang China has achieved a breakthrough in its decarbonisation efforts by successfully repurposing a long-haul oil pipeline to transport carbon dioxide, in a trial run that offers a potentially scalable solution to accelerate the nation’s ambitious climate goals. The 27km (16.8-mile) route delivered carbon dioxide to an oilfield in central China’s Henan province earlier this month, according to China Oil and Gas Pipeline Network Corporation, also known as PipeChina. In an online statement, the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3343072/china-turns-old-oil-pipeline-new-carbon-highway-green-cost-cutting-gambit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3343072/china-turns-old-oil-pipeline-new-carbon-highway-green-cost-cutting-gambit?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2026 02:00:11 +0000 Luca Mattei Luca Mattei Energy security is once again at the very heart of the global geopolitical arena. In an era defined by conflict, sanctions and increasingly precarious maritime routes, Beijing has internalised a fundamental truth: in an unstable world, resilience trumps ideology. Recent disruptions to global shipping corridors and tightening sanction regimes have reinforced this shift, pushing major economies to reassess their exposure to external supply shocks. While much of the West remains locked in a debate... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3342723/chinas-pragmatic-energy-security-vision-fossil-fuels-remain-vital?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3342723/chinas-pragmatic-energy-security-vision-fossil-fuels-remain-vital?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Feb 2026 12:30:12 +0000 Mia Nurmamat Mia Nurmamat Clean energy technologies – led by solar power and electric vehicles – drove more than one-third of China’s economic growth last year and over 90 per cent of the rise in investment, according to a new study. China’s clean energy industries generated a record 15.4 trillion yuan (US$2.1 trillion) in economic output in 2025, equivalent to 11.4 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product, the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) found. If they were a country, the Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3342513/chinas-cleantech-sector-now-worth-us21-trillion-rivals-brazils-gdp-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3342513/chinas-cleantech-sector-now-worth-us21-trillion-rivals-brazils-gdp-report?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Feb 2026 09:09:13 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Tibet’s exploitable solar, wind and hydropower resources alone could theoretically meet all of China’s energy needs, government survey data suggests. According to researchers from the China Society for Hydropower Engineering and the state-owned Power Construction Corporation of China, the technically exploitable capacity of hydropower in Tibet could reach 178 gigawatts, and more than 100GW for wind power. They said the development potential of solar power could reach 10,000GW, which is... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3342334/tibets-exploitable-green-power-could-meet-chinas-energy-needs-official-survey?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3342334/tibets-exploitable-green-power-could-meet-chinas-energy-needs-official-survey?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 07:02:04 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang A profound energy transformation is reshaping Shanxi, China’s traditional coal heartland, where renewable power capacity has officially surpassed coal-fired generation, marking a historic turning point for one of the nation’s most carbon-intensive economies. The central province’s installed capacity for new energy surged to 90.48 million kilowatts in 2025 – a year-on-year increase of 18.29 million kW – vaulting renewables past the halfway point to claim 55.1 per cent of Shanxi’s total... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3342241/shanxis-green-leap-renewables-surpass-coal-chinas-energy-hub?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3342241/shanxis-green-leap-renewables-surpass-coal-chinas-energy-hub?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 00:03:11 +0000 Genevieve Donnellon-May Genevieve Donnellon-May Central Asia’s water insecurity may seem a distant concern. But its rivers underpin Eurasian trade corridors, sustain global food markets and power regional energy systems. As water stress worsens, this is no longer just an environmental issue but a strategic threat across Eurasia – demanding urgent attention in Beijing, Brussels and beyond. Central Asia is warming twice as fast as the global average, accelerating glacier retreat in mountain ranges that act as natural reservoirs. As a result,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3341896/why-china-and-europe-should-care-about-central-asias-water-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3341896/why-china-and-europe-should-care-about-central-asias-water-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The World Trade Organization has faulted the United States in a dispute brought by China over US green energy subsidies introduced under former US president Joe Biden, according to a ruling issued on Friday. The global trade body’s dispute panel said that large tax credits granted under Biden’s landmark climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), were “inconsistent” with several WTO agreements and should be withdrawn. That law, which was signed by Biden in 2022, was the largest climate... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341903/wto-faults-us-dispute-brought-china-over-clean-energy-subsidies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341903/wto-faults-us-dispute-brought-china-over-clean-energy-subsidies?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jan 2026 18:11:56 +0000 Jiang Jiani Jiang Jiani At Davos this year, a familiar but sobering warning echoed through the slopes: the global order is fracturing into closed loops. In Western capitals, “de-risking” remains the dominant keyword, framing the global economy as a series of strategic high walls. Yet, beyond these barriers, a more tangible crisis is unfolding across the Global South. The infrastructure deficit continues to widen, estimated at a staggering US$1.7 trillion annually for Asia alone. This is a crisis of global governance.... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3341126/china-grows-it-reshaping-how-global-public-goods-are-delivered?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3341126/china-grows-it-reshaping-how-global-public-goods-are-delivered?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Roberto Bocca Roberto Bocca For much of the past decade, the energy transition debate has largely revolved around one question: can clean technologies work at scale? That is increasingly being answered. Solar panels, wind turbines, batteries and electric vehicles (EVs) have moved into the mainstream as key technologies become more cost-effective, efficient and faster to deploy. In many markets, these energy sources are no longer the future of energy; they are the present. The challenge is no longer simply proving that more... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3340218/energy-transitions-next-big-challenge-systems-integration?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3340218/energy-transitions-next-big-challenge-systems-integration?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 08:30:10 +0000 Lijia Zhang Lijia Zhang “Rural heating problems in Hebei cannot wait any longer” declared a recent report in Farmers’ Daily. It described a disturbing reality in parts of northern China: elderly villagers who would rather shiver through freezing temperatures than turn on their heaters, because they simply cannot afford the cost. For many urban readers, this may sound implausible. For millions of rural elderly, it is routine. On the surface, the problem appears to be a side effect of China’s well-intentioned... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3339618/without-pension-reform-china-leaving-its-rural-elderly-out-cold?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3339618/without-pension-reform-china-leaving-its-rural-elderly-out-cold?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 01:30:09 +0000 Mia Nurmamat Mia Nurmamat China’s efforts to rein in cutthroat price wars in the solar industry have had the unintended result of creating risks of alleged price rigging, highlighting what analysts describe as an “uneasy balance” between the government’s anti-involution campaign and anti-monopoly policies. The photovoltaic industry has been among the hardest hit by vicious price wars – known as involution, or neijuan-style competition – that have affected several sectors in China in recent years, squeezing companies’... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3339572/chinas-solar-firms-once-deemed-too-competitive-now-face-monopoly-accusations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3339572/chinas-solar-firms-once-deemed-too-competitive-now-face-monopoly-accusations?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Jan 2026 08:00:10 +0000 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu China will cut export subsidies for solar panels and batteries in the coming months, a move mainly aimed at curbing domestic overcompetition and consolidating two sectors where China is dominant, said analysts who also expect it will help ease trade tensions with Europe. Authorities will cancel export value-added tax rebates for solar panels and lower rebates for batteries from 9 per cent to 6 per cent from April 1. The rebates for batteries will be cancelled on January 1, 2027, according to the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3339430/goodwill-or-necessity-why-china-slashing-solar-and-battery-subsidies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3339430/goodwill-or-necessity-why-china-slashing-solar-and-battery-subsidies?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Jan 2026 09:13:00 +0000 Sonalie Figueiras Sonalie Figueiras In contrast to the United States, which innovates and influences, and the European Union, which regulates, China has become the world’s climate doer. Beyond the headlines of decoupling, tariffs and geopolitical rivalry, an underappreciated global transformation is quietly under way: China, often framed as the world’s factory and climate laggard, has, almost by stealth, become the world’s undisputed climate leader. This may sit uncomfortably with Western policymakers, and perhaps even with some... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3338280/how-china-quietly-became-worlds-climate-policy-leader?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3338280/how-china-quietly-became-worlds-climate-policy-leader?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Jan 2026 21:30:09 +0000 Sylvia Ma Sylvia Ma China aims to expand its west-to-east power transmission network to more than 420 gigawatts (GW) by 2030, increasing the share of renewables to about 30 per cent of total electricity output as it pursues a greener transition and a more reliable power supply. The targets were outlined in guidelines issued by the National Development and Reform Commission, the country’s top economic planner, together with the National Energy Administration. In addition to strengthening long-distance transmission... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3338522/china-vows-ramp-west-east-power-output-ai-hi-tech-manufacturing-fuel-demand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3338522/china-vows-ramp-west-east-power-output-ai-hi-tech-manufacturing-fuel-demand?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Jan 2026 02:00:20 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng US President Donald Trump is pushing to resurrect America’s coal sector by expanding mining and subsidising coal-fired power plants to meet the energy demands in a race against China on artificial intelligence. “Our nation’s beautiful clean coal resources will be critical to meeting the rise in electricity demand due to the resurgence of domestic manufacturing and the construction of artificial intelligence data processing centres,” Trump said in an executive order signed on April 8. But China... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3337784/trump-brings-back-coal-power-ai-china-moves-clothe-world-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3337784/trump-brings-back-coal-power-ai-china-moves-clothe-world-it?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 06:00:11 +0000 Christine Loh Christine Loh China is often described today as having “overcapacity” in manufacturing. Its dominance in solar panels, batteries and wind equipment, for example, has left many observers baffled. How did a country once dismissed as undeveloped become, within a generation, so technologically developed that its success now unsettles global markets? Part of the answer lies in how we frame China’s development. What is often described as excess capacity is better understood as the outcome of an energy-centred... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3336783/arguing-about-chinas-overcapacity-overlooks-its-drive-clean-energy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3336783/arguing-about-chinas-overcapacity-overlooks-its-drive-clean-energy?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Dec 2025 08:30:09 +0000 Holly Chik Holly Chik In 1865, when a British entrepreneur built a demonstration railroad near Beijing, Empress Dowager Cixi saw not progress but danger – of disruptions to feng shui, imperial graves and rural order – and had the tracks torn up. Two decades later, when a Chinese-built coal line threatened to steam too close to sacred grounds, Cixi’s solution was not innovation but regression. She ordered that the locomotive be replaced with horses. By clinging to tradition in the face of technological transformation,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3336278/us-green-tech-involution-echoes-mistake-chinas-qing-dynasty-collapse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3336278/us-green-tech-involution-echoes-mistake-chinas-qing-dynasty-collapse?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 22:00:17 +0000 Hiba Malik Hiba Malik In the first three quarters of this year, China added 310 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity, up 47.7 per cent year on year and accounting for 84.4 per cent of all new power installations in the country, according to the National Energy Administration. This progress is more than climate leadership or capacity building; it involves a holistic reconstruction of the energy system. China is replacing the 20th-century fossil fuel order with a 21st-century “electro-industrial order” where power... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3335658/how-china-cementing-its-central-role-architect-green-tech?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3335658/how-china-cementing-its-central-role-architect-green-tech?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 08:30:08 +0000 John Haffner,Jenny Lee,Lisa Sachs John Haffner,Jenny Lee,Lisa Sachs For decades, New York and London have defined the flow of global capital. But while markets still chase short-term returns in US equities, the next great wave of productive investment is taking shape in East Asia, led by China’s financing, manufacturing and export of the clean technologies that are remaking the global economy. That contrast has only widened. As the United States retreats from climate leadership, China has doubled down. A day after US President Donald Trump called climate change... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3334872/how-hong-kong-can-distinguish-itself-climate-finance-hub?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3334872/how-hong-kong-can-distinguish-itself-climate-finance-hub?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Dec 2025 01:30:09 +0000 Holly Chik Holly Chik China has launched a revolutionary facility in the eastern province of Shandong that produces fresh water from seawater for just two yuan (US$0.28) per cubic metre, generating green hydrogen as a by-product in a breakthrough that could redefine global water and energy systems. This small but world-first installation in the city of Rizhao is powered entirely by seawater and low-grade waste heat from nearby steel and petrochemical plants, official provincial news outlet Dazhong reported on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3335518/chinese-desalination-plant-makes-fresh-water-cheaper-tap-water-plus-green-hydrogen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3335518/chinese-desalination-plant-makes-fresh-water-cheaper-tap-water-plus-green-hydrogen?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Dec 2025 16:00:11 +0000 Nirbhay Rana Nirbhay Rana Cop30 concluded with confident declarations from global fashion brands: upgraded net-zero road maps, new partnerships under the UN Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action and bold promises to “accelerate supply-chain decarbonisation”. However, the summit revealed something the industry continues to avoid. Fashion’s climate ambition is still being shaped in the West, while the responsibility for delivering it falls almost entirely on Asia. This imbalance has not shifted. Instead, the UN... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3335136/fashion-industry-must-tailor-climate-plans-asian-suppliers-reality?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3335136/fashion-industry-must-tailor-climate-plans-asian-suppliers-reality?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Dec 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Mandy Zuo Mandy Zuo With their domestic profits narrowing and production capacity expanding, China’s firms are continuing to widen their overseas footprints in search of new, more lucrative markets. In this series, we examine China Inc.’s next phase of “going global” and the complex, challenging international environment its companies have chosen to enter. China’s businesses have emerged as global players in a string of industries in recent years – from electric cars to solar panels. Now, the country is rapidly... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3335298/waste-wealth-why-china-building-incinerators-around-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3335298/waste-wealth-why-china-building-incinerators-around-world?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Dec 2025 05:55:56 +0000 Natalie Chung Sum Yue Natalie Chung Sum Yue The Cop30 UN climate change conference in Belem, Brazil, concluded with a package of decisions that champions implementation and finance, yet its success is nuanced, marked by both institutional progress and political compromises over the core issue of fossil fuels. The conference, framed as the “implementation Cop” by the Brazilian presidency, turned attention away from purely text negotiations to implementing action. The world is grappling with the complex realities of executing a systemic... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3334252/how-cop30-laid-bare-new-geopolitics-climate-action?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3334252/how-cop30-laid-bare-new-geopolitics-climate-action?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Nov 2025 12:30:10 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela China has brought online the world’s first commercial supercritical carbon dioxide power generator – a revolutionary clean energy technology pioneered by the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). This power generator, which uses carbon dioxide instead of steam to transfer heat, has been connected to the grid from a steel production plant in China’s southwestern province of Guizhou to produce electricity from waste heat, according to a social media post by CNNC’s Nuclear Power Institute of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3333982/nuclear-tech-milestone-chinas-supercritical-steam-free-generator-connects-grid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3333982/nuclear-tech-milestone-chinas-supercritical-steam-free-generator-connects-grid?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:00:10 +0000 Peter T. C. Chang Peter T. C. Chang Amid the climate crisis, China’s quiet leadership in the fight for a sustainable future offers a reason for optimism, particularly for the Global South. After two weeks of contentious negotiations, Cop30 in Brazil concluded with an uneasy deal that sidestepped any mention of fossil fuels, exposing deep divisions and mounting frustrations. Indeed, even as Cop30 convened, the world was already suffering “summit fatigue”. After decades of lofty declarations and limited follow-through, many question... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3333752/trump-casts-pall-over-cop30-chinas-quiet-leadership-inspires-hope?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3333752/trump-casts-pall-over-cop30-chinas-quiet-leadership-inspires-hope?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Nov 2025 12:30:10 +0000 Anthony Rowley Anthony Rowley It is not quite true to say that China stole the show with its strong presence at the recent Cop30 climate summit in Belem, Brazil, because the United States had already voluntarily abdicated its lead role in these events. However, the summit did underline the staying power of state versus market economies when it comes to long-term investment. The truth is that Western approaches to climate change prevention or alleviation have been half-hearted and muddled from the start. They have relied... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3333537/how-cop30-highlights-power-chinese-state-capitalism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3333537/how-cop30-highlights-power-chinese-state-capitalism?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Nov 2025 08:30:08 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Over the Hexi Corridor, a ribbon of fertile land on the edge of the Gobi Desert blessed by the Yellow River in western China, a gleaming forest of wind turbines and solar farms stretches to the horizon. This is Gansu, China’s renewables frontier, a major source of wind and solar energy. And yet, just beyond the dunes, another giant stirs. At the Changle Power Plant, turbines roar to life as another 1-gigawatt coal unit comes online – six reactors now pulsing with the energy that could meet the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3333674/why-chinas-mega-coal-fired-power-plants-thrive-amid-green-energy-boom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3333674/why-chinas-mega-coal-fired-power-plants-thrive-amid-green-energy-boom?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2025 22:00:18 +0000 Zhang Tong Zhang Tong The days when Silicon Valley and leading American universities led the way in shaping the future of science may be ending, as China overtakes the United States not only in research output but in some cutting-edge fields, according to one of the world’s leading academic publishers. “When I looked into data from Digital Science’s Dimensions database, I can see a widening gap between China and the United States in research output. “By 2024, Chinese researchers had published 1.1 million articles,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3333395/china-overtakes-us-medical-research-amid-science-balance-power-shift-top-publisher?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3333395/china-overtakes-us-medical-research-amid-science-balance-power-shift-top-publisher?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Nov 2025 14:00:11 +0000 David Dodwell David Dodwell Spectating from afar during the Cop30 UN climate summit in Belem on the edge of Brazil’s Amazon forests, it is easy to despair. Despite 30 years of concerted global diplomacy and exhaustive scientific evidence of the gravity of global warming, carbon dioxide emissions continue to rise, as do global temperatures. Brazil’s rainforest continues to burn. Global oil and gas production remains robust. Governments procrastinate and funding promises still fail to materialise. Worst of all, the world’s... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3332704/takeaway-cop30-climate-action-needs-be-close-and-local?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3332704/takeaway-cop30-climate-action-needs-be-close-and-local?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Nov 2025 08:30:10 +0000 Wang Huiyao,Zhi Wang Wang Huiyao,Zhi Wang The world stands at a crossroads, amid an accelerating climate crisis, geopolitical tensions reshaping global trade and the demand from Global South nations to exercise their right to industrialise without repeating the polluting mistakes of the past. A new consensus is urgently needed that moves beyond zero-sum competition and towards collaborative solutions. The path to decarbonisation creates a trilemma of competing interests that threatens progress for all. First, Western anxieties must be... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3332346/global-green-industrialisation-initiative-can-have-win-win-win-outcome?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3332346/global-green-industrialisation-initiative-can-have-win-win-win-outcome?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Nov 2025 01:30:12 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Real actions beyond speeches are what the world’s leaders are being asked to come up with at Cop30. Host Brazil’s urgent call, cast into focus at the first UN Conference of the Parties set in the heart of the threatened Amazon, is a tall order. Carbon emissions remain too high to meet global warming targets and the US government is a no show. But some have found hope in a recent push to form a “coalition of the willing”. Such technology and investment partnerships, primarily among developing... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3332620/us-sits-out-cop30-china-and-others-must-pick-slack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3332620/us-sits-out-cop30-china-and-others-must-pick-slack?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Nov 2025 23:15:09 +0000 Jesse Rodenbiker Jesse Rodenbiker In the push to meet climate goals, such as those taking centre stage at Cop30, China finds itself walking a tightrope between two laudable ambitions: ecological conservation and the green energy transition. However, beneath the triumphal rhetoric lies a set of contradictions with real social and ecological consequences. China has implemented a vast ecological red line policy by demarcating 30 per cent of its land area that encompasses wetlands, mountains and grasslands – about 3 million sq km –... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3332299/can-china-balance-green-ambition-everyday-ways-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3332299/can-china-balance-green-ambition-everyday-ways-life?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Nov 2025 01:30:09 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick China has reportedly declined, for the time being, to make a financial contribution to Brazil’s flagship rainforest protection mechanism, arguing that developed nations should take the lead in global climate financing. The position, reported by Brazil’s newspaper Folha de S. Paulo, frustrated hopes in Brasília that the world’s second-largest economy would become a major early backer of the Tropical Forests Forever Facility, or TFFF. Chinese negotiators told their Brazilian counterparts that... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3332256/china-wont-back-brazil-rainforest-fund-points-rich-nations-lack-support-reports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3332256/china-wont-back-brazil-rainforest-fund-points-rich-nations-lack-support-reports?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 20:42:27 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick China will join a Brazil-led coalition to link carbon markets across major economies, one of the key environmental proposals set to be adopted at Cop30 in Belem on Friday. The so-called Open Coalition for the Integration of Carbon Markets was created to align standards and make it easier for countries to trade carbon credits. Developed by Brazil’s Ministry of Finance, it is part of the government’s Ecological Transformation Plan, a broad strategy to combine economic growth with social inclusion... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3332010/cop30-china-join-brazil-led-coalition-seeking-improved-carbon-trading-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3332010/cop30-china-join-brazil-led-coalition-seeking-improved-carbon-trading-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Nov 2025 20:27:26 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick China has backed a landmark rainforest protection fund launched by Brazil at the Cop30 climate summit on Thursday but is not expected to announce any financial contribution during the event, Brazil’s finance minister said at a press conference. The launch of the Tropical Forests Forever Facility is one of the main outcomes of this year’s UN climate conference so far. It is a multilateral mechanism designed to reward tropical nations for keeping their forests standing rather than clearing... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3331845/china-joins-support-brazils-forest-fund-delays-financial-commitment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3331845/china-joins-support-brazils-forest-fund-delays-financial-commitment?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Nov 2025 21:20:27 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu China’s energy industry has passed a new milestone, with the expansion of the Yangtze River Delta’s Beilun Power Station making it the largest thermal power station in the country by installed capacity. The plant’s coal-fired Unit Nine has commenced operations after a 168-hour full-load trial, state-owned China Energy Investment Corporation announced on Monday. That additional gigawatt of power has raised the total installed capacity of the station, located in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, to... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3331575/china-has-new-coal-fired-power-champ-despite-switch-focus-renewable-energy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3331575/china-has-new-coal-fired-power-champ-despite-switch-focus-renewable-energy?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Nov 2025 04:29:51 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Xu Hongjie, a nuclear physicist and pioneer of China’s thorium reactor programme, remained engaged and involved in his field until his death at the age of 70, just weeks before a breakthrough in a project he had led. The former director of the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP) died in Shanghai on September 14, according to an obituary posted by the institute a day after his death; however, the details of his death were not known until the Science and Technology Daily published a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3331484/lead-scientist-chinas-thorium-reactor-project-died-working-computer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3331484/lead-scientist-chinas-thorium-reactor-project-died-working-computer?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Nov 2025 12:00:16 +0000 Stephen Chen Stephen Chen An experimental reactor developed in the Gobi Desert by the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics has achieved thorium-to-uranium fuel conversion, paving the way for an almost endless supply of nuclear energy. The achievement makes the 2 megawatt liquid-fuelled thorium-based molten salt reactor (TMSR) the only operating example of the technology in the world to have successfully loaded and used thorium fuel. According to the academy, the experiment has provided... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3331312/china-reaches-energy-independence-milestone-breeding-uranium-thorium?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3331312/china-reaches-energy-independence-milestone-breeding-uranium-thorium?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Nov 2025 14:00:09 +0000 Ren Yan Ren Yan Recently, some major Western media outlets have focused on China’s embrace of clean energy technologies. Between the lines of the rhetoric on China becoming an “electrostate”, there is palpable anxiety about US President Donald Trump’s “drill, baby, drill” approach and the partisan political landscape. The New York Times highlighted one of China’s longest ultra-high-voltage power lines, stretching from the far northwest remote desert to the populous southeast, noting that these power lines are... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3329944/how-strategic-planning-powering-chinas-green-energy-transition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3329944/how-strategic-planning-powering-chinas-green-energy-transition?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Oct 2025 01:30:08 +0000 Alice Li Alice Li China’s wind power industry has set a target of doubling the number of new turbines installed per year over the next five years, as the industry bids to play a leading role in the country’s carbon neutrality push. The Chinese industry, which already leads the world in terms of installed wind power capacity, aims to install at least 120 gigawatts of new turbines annually from 2026 to 2030, according to a declaration jointly agreed by representatives of more than 1,000 wind power companies. That... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3329819/chinas-wind-firms-aim-double-new-turbine-installations-over-next-5-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3329819/chinas-wind-firms-aim-double-new-turbine-installations-over-next-5-years?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Oct 2025 03:00:22 +0000