Is China a climate saint or villain?
It is supercharging the green transition—while burning mountains of coal
AMONG THE words mentioned most often by Li Qiang in his “work report”—a sort of state-of-the-nation address—on March 5th was “green”. His predecessor as prime minister used it nine times in last year’s speech; Mr Li nearly doubled that (see chart 1). This is hardly surprising. China is a green-technology powerhouse: its batteries, solar panels and electric vehicles (EVs) lead the world. Chinese officials want such industries to spur future economic growth and China’s own pursuit of energy self-sufficiency.
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This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Climate saint or villain? ”
From the March 16th 2024 edition
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