Can China's Clean Technology Leadership Drive Global Cooperation on Climate Change?

CGTN Europe

CGTN Europe spoke to Lord Adair Turner, Chair of the Energy Transitions Commission.

Transcript

00:00Well, China has been leading the charge on the development of clean energy technology.

00:04Lord Adair Turner is the chair of Energy Transitions Commission.

00:09Well, there's a clear focus coming out of the plenum on building China's self-sufficiency.

00:16And part of it you have to read, I think, within the context of a much more troubled world,

00:22a competitive world, a geopolitical rivalry world,

00:25and China basically saying they want to have self-sufficiency in a set of technologies and leadership.

00:34Part of that, of course, could be very good for the global energy transition,

00:39because if China reinforces yet more its investments in core technologies like solar PV, batteries, EVs, wind turbines, electrolyzers,

00:53that will drive down the cost of that, improve the performance,

00:58and that will be available to the rest of the world, reducing the cost of the energy transition.

01:05The flip side, though, of course, is that the more that China talks about self-sufficiency in a whole series of technologies,

01:12the more you're likely to get places like Europe saying,

01:15well, we don't want to be entirely reliant on China for these technologies,

01:19so we've got to build some element of self-sufficiency alone.

01:23If that goes well, it would mean Europe investing alongside China,

01:29and there would be, you know, one plus one equals more than two.

01:32If it simply becomes protectionism, it can increase the cost of the energy transition.

01:36So you can read the implications of the plenum statement as having some positive potential for technological development,

01:45which is good for the green transition,

01:47but some dangers that we are all across the world in a process of increasingly focusing on self-sufficiency rather than the benefits of trade.

01:56Well, given that, let's explore further the possibility of self-sufficiency or further protectionism.

02:01I mean, how do you see China's potential for cooperation with the rest of the world on those key global issues?

02:11Well, the crucial thing at the moment on climate change as a global issue is really the relationship between Europe and China.

02:19I mean, also, I think, to a degree, India and Brazil,

02:23but I would attach a whole very high importance to Europe and China.

02:26The simple fact is that the U.S. has decided that it's not interested in climate change.

02:31Indeed, if anything, it is deliberately trying to undermine other people's efforts to pursue climate change action,

02:39which we saw last week in America deliberately encouraging a delay in the IMO debates about carbon pricing.

02:48So in that environment, what the EU and China does on climate is very important,

02:54and I think we have to find a way to work together as best possible,

02:59work together to encourage each other to set stretching climate targets in a sort of,

03:06if I'll do this, you'll do that type negotiation.

03:09And I don't think that's going perfectly at the moment, but we need to try and get that dynamic going.

03:14And then I think we also need Europe to develop a nuanced point of view towards China's dominance of the clean technologies.

03:25Europe is not going to be willing to rely on China for all its solar panels, all its EVs, all its batteries, all its everything.

03:34On the other hand, it shouldn't be flipping into a deeply protectionist mode.

03:39And there are a set of intermediate policies possible, which include encouraging Chinese investment into Europe.

03:45But there needs to be an engagement on those trade issues.

03:48And then the third thing that there needs to be, between Europe and China in particular,

03:51is helping to unleash the flows of finance through, for instance, all the different development banks that there are,

03:58whether they be the EBRD, the Africa Development Bank, the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank,

04:04to make sure that lower-income developing countries are able to seize the possibility,

04:11the potential which has been created by the collapsing price of key technologies such as solar and batteries.

04:18I think, for instance, that Africa is now looking at an enormous opportunity to rapidly develop electricity systems

04:27in an entirely green, zero-carbon fashion right from the beginning.

04:31It could be hugely beneficial to economic development, but it depends on flows of capital from outside,

04:38because the African savings rate is not sufficient for it to drive all the investment that it needs for itself.

04:47So I think there are a variety of ways in which Europe and China in particular need to be,

04:53as best possible in this rather troubled world, working together on these issues of climate change.

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