A recent article on The New York Times website highlighted the commercial operation launch of the Monsoon Wind Power Project in Laos-the largest wind power project in Southeast Asia, built by a Chinese company-at the end of August this year. The report stated that the project is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 32 million tons over the next 25 years .
Yet, more than half a century ago, during the Vietnam War, the Dak Cheung region where the project is located was carpet-bombed by U.S. warplanes, with millions of pounds of explosives dropped on the area.
Screenshot from The New York Times website
The report stated that while this project is not the most prominent in China's clean energy revolution, it vividly illustrates China's dominant position in the global renewable energy trade system.
The report noted that China's investments in clean technology have driven a remarkable transformation. Currently, China produces about two-thirds of the world's electric vehicles, around 60% of wind turbine blades, and over 85% of battery capacity. According to last year's forecast by the International Energy Agency (IEA), China's clean energy technology exports could reach $340 billion annually by 2035-roughly equivalent to the current combined oil exports of Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Headline from The New York Times website
The report stated that China's clean energy-related exports have had a lasting impact-stylish Chinese electric vehicles are seen on the streets of Bangkok, São Paulo, and Addis Ababa; Chinese-made solar panels cover sun-drenched cities in Pakistan as well as Argentina's high-altitude plateaus at 13,000 feet (about 4,000 meters); and Chinese-made wind turbine blades stand tall in wind farms along Bosnia's narrow coastline, across Kenya's plains, and atop the southeastern highlands of Laos. In short, relatively affordable Chinese green technology can be found in every corner of the world.
According to an analysis by Lauri Myllyvirta, lead researcher at the Finland-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), in 2024, China exported clean energy technology to 191 out of the 192 United Nations member states (excluding itself)-a fact that is astonishing.
Screenshot from The New York Times website
According to an analysis by Lauri Myllyvirta, China's clean energy technology exports in 2024 alone would prevent 220 million tons of carbon emissions annually, equivalent to the annual emissions of 50 million gasoline-powered vehicles. The article suggests that China's clean energy-related exports have weakened global carbon emissions.