How China cornered the market for clean tech
The country is the biggest supplier of materials vital for the energy transition, possibly giving it geopolitical leverage.
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An employee working on a wind turbine in Lianyungang, China. More than half of all new wind turbines installed in 2023 will be in China.
PHOTO: AFP
Edward White
In late 2022, in Beijing, officials from several of China’s technology, trade and defence agencies were called to a series of secret meetings with a single purpose: to respond to America’s sweeping restrictions on selling computer chips to Chinese companies.
In July, Beijing announced its response: It imposed restrictions on the exports of gallium and germanium, metals used in the production of a number of strategically important products, including electric vehicles (EVs), microchips and some military weapons systems.