After the US exit from global climate agreements, China is now the world’s new hope for green leadership. The country with the world’s second largest economy is already a leader in climate technology and has invested more than any other country in the green transition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The West should recognize the reality. China is ahead, not behind. Instead of excluding Chinese companies, we should learn from them and possibly collaborate with them,” says one of Denmarks leading China experts, Christina Boutrup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She is currently working on the book “The Green Superpower: How China Colors Our Future<\/a>“, which has just been published.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The book states that China is the world leader in 57 out of 64 key technologies. China is already market dominant in several green areas. For example, China currently produces 80 percent of all solar cells and batteries in the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “Chinese companies are global leaders in the green transition, partly because they have survived brutal competition in the domestic market. Solar cells and batteries are clear examples – China totally dominates here,” Christina Boutrup tells MONEY MONEY MONEY.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the green sector, China has ended the era of only copying Western goods, ideas and technologies. Now they are leading in several areas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Christina Boutrup believes that Western business leaders must dispel the myth that China is just a developing country. China is much more, and its strategic investment in green technology affects the whole world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “My mission is to shed light on some of the blind spots that exist in relation to developments in China. There is a huge China factor in all global affairs, especially when it comes to the climate,” says Christina Boutrup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the myths Christina Boutrup wants to dispel is that China is building new coal-fired power stations because the country is not really in the process of green transition. But coal-fired power stations are being built alongside massive investments in renewable energy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At the same time, station capacity is being utilized less and utilization has fallen<\/a>sharply – from 70 percent in 2006 to 53 percent in 2022. And it continues: capacity utilization from coal stations is expected to be just 26% by 2050. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This reveals an important point, says Christina Boutrup: <\/p>\n\n\n\n “Yes, China is still building coal-fired power stations, but that doesn’t mean they are betting on coal in the future. On the contrary – they see them as a backup while they expand renewable energy sources.”<\/p>\n\n\n