https://www.scmp.com/rss/509875/feed The business of climate change forms a core part of SCMP’s climate change coverage. Key topics covered include the policy drivers, financing and business case for the commercialisation of low carbon energy technology and solutions – ranging from green hydrogen to wind, solar and nuclear energy – and carbon removal technologies such as afforestation and carbon capture, utilisation and storage. Sustainable consumption of products that reduce the carbon footprint of supply chains are also featured... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Daniel Ren Daniel Ren Chinese electric vehicle (EV) batteries are set to become safer and more powerful, as carmakers including SAIC Motor and Chery Automobile outline road maps for the commercialisation of solid-state technology. Solid-state batteries – which use a solid electrolyte to conduct ions between electrodes – are widely seen as a superior alternative to conventional lithium-ion batteries that rely on liquid or gel-based materials. Analysts say the technology promises higher energy density, improved safety... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3349348/safer-longer-range-evs-sight-china-accelerates-solid-state-battery-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3349348/safer-longer-range-evs-sight-china-accelerates-solid-state-battery-push?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 08:00:08 +0000 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 Daniel Ren Daniel Ren China’s Ganfeng Lithium, the world’s largest producer of lithium metal, is envisioning an “explosive growth” in the global energy storage system (ESS) market in 2026, spurred by higher prices of the key battery material and buoyant demand for renewable energy infrastructure. Executives including president Wang Xiaoshen told an investors’ conference on Tuesday that the global decarbonisation drive had created a strong and sustainable trajectory for Ganfeng, which swung from loss to profit last... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3348628/ganfeng-lithium-forecasts-strong-battery-demand-amid-china-us-rivalry-renewable-energy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3348628/ganfeng-lithium-forecasts-strong-battery-demand-amid-china-us-rivalry-renewable-energy?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 07:00:21 +0000 Andy Xie Andy Xie The Iran war’s oil shock has dramatically increased the security risk for oil-dependent countries, incentivising a turn towards renewable energy. This impact will outlast the war and oil price spikes because the world knows this war will recur. China will be the biggest beneficiary and its exports are likely to do very well this year, offsetting losses from buying higher-priced oil. A fifth of the global supply of oil and liquefied natural gas plus a third of seaborne fertilisers traditionally... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3347634/oil-shocked-world-turns-renewables-china-will-reap-rewards?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3347634/oil-shocked-world-turns-renewables-china-will-reap-rewards?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 12:30:07 +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 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday said Europe’s turn away from nuclear power had been a “strategic mistake”, as soaring oil prices rekindled concerns about the bloc’s energy vulnerability. Speaking in Paris at a nuclear summit, which aims to boost the use of civilian nuclear energy, the European Commission president endorsed a return to atomic energy, saying the European Union would back investments in “innovative nuclear technologies”. “It was a strategic mistake for Europe to turn its... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346139/eu-eyes-nuclear-energy-again-oil-prices-soar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346139/eu-eyes-nuclear-energy-again-oil-prices-soar?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 14:10:06 +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 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela China will power up an ultra-efficient, nuclear waste-burning reactor with technology that it projects will safely meet humanity’s energy needs for the next 1,000 years. Accelerator-driven subcritical systems (ADS) are advanced nuclear reactors that can both generate energy and transmute long-lived radioactive waste into shorter-lived and less hazardous isotopes. Designed by researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) along with state nuclear enterprises, the China Initiative... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3345661/1000-year-source-china-plans-fire-world-first-accelerator-driven-nuclear-reactor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3345661/1000-year-source-china-plans-fire-world-first-accelerator-driven-nuclear-reactor?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Mar 2026 03:59:33 +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 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 Quentin Parker Quentin Parker Hong Kong sees itself as a modern, well-governed, global city that moves with the times. On finance, education, legal services and logistics, that self-image holds. But when considering the green transition, particularly transport electrification, the gap between rhetoric and reality is increasingly hard to ignore. Nowhere is this more evident than in electrifying the taxi fleet, where the quarter-century timeline floated bears little resemblance to what is standard practice in neighbouring... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3344649/high-price-hong-kongs-slow-switch-electric-buses-and-taxis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3344649/high-price-hong-kongs-slow-switch-electric-buses-and-taxis?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 01:30:09 +0000 Reuters Reuters Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s push to accelerate the roll-out of rooftop solar power is falling short of targets despite heavy subsidies due to loan delays and limited support from state utilities, vendors and analysts say. The shortfalls represent the latest challenge to India’s efforts to nearly double clean energy capacity to 500 gigawatts by 2030, and come as the government plans to suspend clean energy tendering targets amid a mounting backlog of awarded projects yet to be... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3343665/indias-solar-power-push-misses-targets-red-tape-loan-refusals-hamper-transition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3343665/indias-solar-power-push-misses-targets-red-tape-loan-refusals-hamper-transition?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Feb 2026 01:48:09 +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 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu China has criticised the European Commission’s anti-subsidy probe into Chinese wind turbine maker Goldwind Science & Technology as “targeted” and “discriminatory”, warning that such measures would undermine Chinese companies’ confidence in the European market and disrupt the bloc’s green transition. “The European side’s related investigations have generalised the concept of ‘foreign subsidies’ and have many problems, such as insufficient evidence for opening cases and a lack of procedural... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3342444/china-slams-eu-probe-wind-turbine-maker-goldwind-discriminatory?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3342444/china-slams-eu-probe-wind-turbine-maker-goldwind-discriminatory?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Feb 2026 02:23:58 +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 Holly Chik Holly Chik Chinese scientists have developed a hydrogel cooling coating for solar panels to boost power output by 13 per cent compared to conventional photovoltaic systems. The transparent layer can reduce the temperature of “hotspots” – overheated areas on solar cells caused by defects, shading from leaves, bird droppings or dirt – by 16 degrees Celsius (nearly 30 Fahrenheit). Hotspots are a common cause of solar panel failure and fire risk. “On a global scale, our developed cooling strategy can offset... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3341723/chinese-teams-hydrogel-coating-boosts-solar-panel-power-output-13-ideal-hot-regions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3341723/chinese-teams-hydrogel-coating-boosts-solar-panel-power-output-13-ideal-hot-regions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 04:00:12 +0000 Ying Xu,Weishi Zhang Ying Xu,Weishi Zhang In the global shift towards carbon neutral mobility, a striking role reversal is taking shape. China, often seen as a top-down planner, has emerged as a pragmatic, market-responsive architect of new energy vehicle (NEV) policy. Europe, a champion of climate ambition, is seemingly executing a retreat amid a disconnect between ambition and reality. The planned dilution of the European Union’s ban on new combustion-engine cars by 2035 to a carbon dioxide output reduction target of 90 per cent is... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3341418/ev-targets-europe-should-take-page-chinas-playbook?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3341418/ev-targets-europe-should-take-page-chinas-playbook?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jan 2026 08:30:07 +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 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof When Hong Kong-based EcoCeres opened Malaysia’s first commercial-scale sustainable aviation fuel plant in Johor on Monday, officials pitched it as a new export segment positioned for strong growth, backed by the country’s ports, processing capacity and palm-adjacent supply chains. The problem is that the largest buyers are still not in Asia, EcoCeres says. “The major part of the demand is in Europe,” EcoCeres CEO Matti Lievonen told reporters at a press conference, adding that “absolutely much... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3341370/malaysia-aims-be-sustainable-aviation-fuel-hub-what-about-low-asian-demand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3341370/malaysia-aims-be-sustainable-aviation-fuel-hub-what-about-low-asian-demand?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2026 06:57:39 +0000 Alice Li Alice Li China has kicked off construction on the southern section of the Tibet-Guangdong ultra-high-voltage power transmission line, an ambitious scheme to channel vast amounts of green energy generated high in the mountains of western China to factory hubs along the country’s south coast. The project – which will shoot the equivalent of half the electricity produced by the Three Gorges Dam across China each year – comes as Beijing strives to push forward with its carbon-reduction plans and keep up with... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3340872/chinas-massive-project-funnel-clean-energy-tibet-enters-new-phase?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3340872/chinas-massive-project-funnel-clean-energy-tibet-enters-new-phase?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jan 2026 11:29:32 +0000 Eunice Xu Eunice Xu China’s pursuit of commercial nuclear fusion technology has intensified this year, fuelled by a fresh round of financing for start-ups and state-backed initiatives. Startorus Fusion last week raised 1 billion yuan (US$143 million) from its series A round, a record for a single financing round by a private nuclear fusion company on the mainland, according to a report by the Securities Times. The deal, announced on January 12, was led by state-owned funds in Shanghai, which contributed around 400... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3340430/chinas-nuclear-fusion-start-ups-power-record-funding-round?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3340430/chinas-nuclear-fusion-start-ups-power-record-funding-round?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jan 2026 02:00:09 +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 Christine Loh Christine Loh Net-zero commitments are now commonplace across Hong Kong’s property sector. Many major developers have announced targets for 2030 and 2050, often framed around energy efficiency, renewable energy and greener buildings. This is welcome. However, as climate ambition becomes the norm, a more uncomfortable question comes into focus: how many of these commitments are grounded in a serious understanding of what decarbonisation actually entails? What remains largely missing from Hong Kong’s climate... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3339817/hong-kong-needs-ask-hard-questions-about-its-net-zero-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3339817/hong-kong-needs-ask-hard-questions-about-its-net-zero-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jan 2026 21:30:08 +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 Nirbhay Rana Nirbhay Rana In 2025, familiar fashion brands around the world shut stores, restructured operations or disappeared. Meanwhile, Shein, the fast-fashion platform long criticised for its environmental and labour footprint, remained highly profitable. Last year, Shein told investors it was expecting a US$2 billion profit in 2025. At first glance, the conclusion appears straightforward: speed and scale are winning, while slower traditional fashion models are losing. However, this reading is dangerously... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3338910/why-shein-doesnt-have-be-model-fashion-industry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3338910/why-shein-doesnt-have-be-model-fashion-industry?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Jan 2026 12:30:07 +0000 Shi Huang Shi Huang In the Gobi Desert outside Golmud in the northwestern province of Qinghai, a row of white tanks stands tall in the open wilderness. Inside, air is compressed and cooled to -194 degrees Celsius (-317 Fahrenheit), and then it becomes liquid. When released, it expands by more than 750 times, drives turbines and generates electricity. This is the world’s largest liquid-air energy storage plant. Also known as the Super Air Power Bank, it is built by China Green Development Investment Group and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3337802/china-power-worlds-largest-super-cold-air-battery-gobi-desert?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3337802/china-power-worlds-largest-super-cold-air-battery-gobi-desert?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Dec 2025 06:07:45 +0000 Enoch Yiu Enoch Yiu Hong Kong is expected to see a rise in bond issuance across multiple currencies in 2026, driven by rising demand for non-US dollar assets amid geopolitical tensions and government initiatives to strengthen the city’s capital markets, according to industry players. As part of efforts to promote the local bond market, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) launched a blueprint in September to expand yuan-linked products and widen the investor base... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3337865/hong-kong-bond-markets-yuan-issuance-expand-2026-under-hkma-sfc-road-map?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3337865/hong-kong-bond-markets-yuan-issuance-expand-2026-under-hkma-sfc-road-map?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Dec 2025 00:30:11 +0000 Resty Woro Yuniar Resty Woro Yuniar A decision by a court in Switzerland this week to hear a climate lawsuit brought by four Indonesian fishermen against cement giant Holcim has been welcomed by campaigners as an important step for climate justice, even as they warned the legal fight could still stretch on for years. On Monday, the Cantonal Court of Zug ruled that it would admit the lawsuit, allowing the case to proceed to a full assessment on its merits. The complaint accuses Holcim, a Swiss company based in the town of Zug, of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3337656/indonesian-fishermens-climate-lawsuit-switzerland-against-cement-giant-proceed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3337656/indonesian-fishermens-climate-lawsuit-switzerland-against-cement-giant-proceed?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Dec 2025 00:00:15 +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 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji After more than a decade of false starts, India and the European Union appear closer than ever to clinching a free-trade agreement, buoyed by renewed political will and converging economic interests despite lingering tensions over carbon taxes and Russia. Analysts say the breakthrough may be near following a fresh round of high-level talks in New Delhi that injected new urgency into negotiations that have been stuck in procedural drift for years. Both sides are seeking to secure supply chains... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3335872/india-eu-trade-pact-nears-finish-line-despite-carbon-tax-dispute-russia-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3335872/india-eu-trade-pact-nears-finish-line-despite-carbon-tax-dispute-russia-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Dec 2025 09:00:08 +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 Reuters Reuters India does not have any immediate plans to add coal power generation capacity beyond 2035, a top power ministry official said on Sunday. “India wants to secure its energy requirements,” Pankaj Agarwal, secretary at the power ministry, said on the sidelines of a power ministry event. “As of 2035, we want to have a coal capacity of 307 gigawatts.” He said it would be “premature to say what we want to do beyond 2035”. India this year proposed increasing its coal power capacity by 46 per cent from... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3335528/india-pause-coal-power-expansion-beyond-2035-amid-grid-stress?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3335528/india-pause-coal-power-expansion-beyond-2035-amid-grid-stress?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Dec 2025 14:53:36 +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 Ma Jun,Sean Kidney Ma Jun,Sean Kidney As the United States renounces its climate commitments, a chain reaction of wavering pledges and scaled-back investments by other donors and multilateral institutions has followed. This trend raises the stakes for everyone else, underscoring the urgency of closing the financing gap for climate adaptation and mitigation in the developing world. Fortunately, China has increasingly been projecting itself as a source of alternative, low-cost funding for climate and sustainability projects across the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3334996/how-yuan-internationalisation-helping-close-climate-finance-gap?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3334996/how-yuan-internationalisation-helping-close-climate-finance-gap?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 12:30:10 +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 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 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji A tentative thaw in India–China ties is rekindling hopes that the two Asian giants could move from strategic rivalry to clean-energy cooperation at a moment when the Global South is searching for leverage in climate negotiations. This cautious warming, after four years of strained relations, has unfolded alongside renewed trade in green-energy components and their increasingly aligned push at Cop30 in Brazil for more climate finance and fairer rules, a convergence that analysts say could subtly... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3333729/cop30-india-and-china-align-climate-ties-thaw-going-same-direction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3333729/cop30-india-and-china-align-climate-ties-thaw-going-same-direction?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Nov 2025 08:00:24 +0000 Reuters Reuters Brazil’s Cop30 presidency pushed through a compromise climate deal on Saturday that would boost finance for poor nations coping with global warming but omitted any mention of the fossil fuels driving it. In securing the accord, Brazil hoped to demonstrate global unity in addressing climate change impacts even after the world’s biggest historic emitter, the United States, declined to send an official delegation. Acknowledging that the deal left many frustrated, the head of the UN climate... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3333817/world-secures-compromise-deal-cop30-sidesteps-fossil-fuels?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3333817/world-secures-compromise-deal-cop30-sidesteps-fossil-fuels?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Nov 2025 17:05:59 +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 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A fire broke out Thursday inside the UN climate summit venue in Brazil, burning through the roof and causing a panicked evacuation and the suspension of talks entering a crucial phase. The blaze engulfed pavilions in the summit site in Belem around 2pm, torching a hole through its fabric ceiling, sparking a rush for the exit as smoke filled the corridors and people cried “fire!” It was the third major incident since the Cop30 negotiations started last week in the Amazon region, after Indigenous... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3333604/fire-disrupts-cop30-climate-talks-brazil-just-negotiators-reach-critical-final-days?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3333604/fire-disrupts-cop30-climate-talks-brazil-just-negotiators-reach-critical-final-days?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Nov 2025 20:35:59 +0000 SCMP Reporter SCMP Reporter Xpeng’s CEO He Xiaopeng is among three corporate founders who have been shortlisted as finalists in the 2025 Business Awards organised by SCMP Live, in a reimagination of a series of accolades first introduced in 1990. A total of 43 nominations were received for the awards in six categories, honouring the most noteworthy business owner, corporate executive, company, small-and-medium-sized enterprise (SME), start-ups and the best globalised brand. A discretionary award honouring lifetime... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3333210/xpengs-founder-headlines-scmp-lives-2025-business-awards?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3333210/xpengs-founder-headlines-scmp-lives-2025-business-awards?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 23:30:08 +0000