China always plays the long game and keeps its people in line by threats and force, along with spying on its citizens. But, as most of us know, at least partially, is that China is dependent on other countries on oil, the black tar that runs the world.
China saw the writing on the wall and has been building reserves for quite some time. In addition, China is using green technologies to reduce dependence on other countries, not to save the world from fossil fuels, but for military advantage. They are opening new coal plants, the cheapest fuel source and will continue to do so, especially after losing Venezuela and Iran’s oil sources.
Short-term issues do not stop China from long-term planning, unlike in the U.S., where everything changes with each presidential cycle, tearing down the previous administration’s accomplishments. Whatever happened to continuous improvement for the people? That went out the door when the progressives took control of the Democratic Party. All IMO.
“Years of shock-proofing its energy system have made China remarkably resilient to the oil price hikes triggered by the US-Israeli war on Iran and closure of the strait of Hormuz – even though China is highly dependent on oil from the region. China’s investments in green tech, electrifying its energy system, diversifying fossil fuel imports, and expanding coal capacities have raised its energy self-sufficiency to 85 percent, according to 2024 data. Its latest Five-Year Plan (FYP) for 2026-2030 aims to further boost energy security.
Strategically and systemically, China’s decarbonization efforts are not primarily about fulfilling UN emissions targets to limit climate change, creating green tech champions to dominate global markets, or decoupling energy use from foreign suppliers. While these all play their part, China’s main goal is to minimize risks and volatility in what leaders see as an increasingly volatile global order – especially in fossil fuels.
China’s ballooning energy needs are the reason. In 2025, China became first in the world to surpass demand of 10 trillion kilowatt hours of electricity, exceeding the combined power consumption of the EU, Russia, India, and Japan. This is only projected to grow as manufacturing capacities expand alongside China’s big bet on AI, which requires large amounts of power to run servers. AI industry leaders Sam Altman, Jensen Huang, and Elon Musk have suggested China may be at a critical advantage given its massive investments in reliable electricity, mainly from renewable sources.
Coal is still China’s largest energy source, but Beijing is pushing the energy transition and scaling its clean energy capacities faster than any other nation. Investments in clean energy led to a slight decline in emissions in 2025 – a first for China, which has pledged to peak before 2030. The recent FYP puts renewables at the center of energy systems development, with large energy bases and a pledge to double capacity in 10 years and create a flexible grid powering its expanding industrial juggernaut.”