China outpaces the EU in clean energy research

According to a study conducted for the European Commission, China has overtaken the European Union in research related to clean energy technologies. This was reported by Bloomberg, according to UNN.

In 2021, China led the way in terms of peer-reviewed publications in areas such as solar and wind energy, as well as lithium batteries, heat pumps and carbon capture technologies. This is a change from 2010, when the EU led in publications in all of these sectors, with the exception of wind, as revealed in an article published last week,

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has put forward a strategy of "de-risking" from China by reducing dependence on several critical technologies, including solar panels.

The EU executive will publish a proposal with rules aimed at strengthening powers to inspect and potentially block foreign investment in sensitive industries.

While the European dependence on Chinese production of products such as solar panels is well known, the paper emphasizes how the research and innovation gap could make it difficult for the EU to reduce this dependence.

Gaps in research and innovation could eventually lead to import dependence on future technologies and related products. China's global dominance in critical areas such as solar energy and electronics leads to limited opportunities for trade diversification,

The influence of Chinese inputs in international supply chains is particularly strong for EU industries such as basic metals, chemicals, electronics, and electrical equipment.

But the report also emphasizes that China has a certain trade dependence on the EU, in particular for "strategic products and critical technologies.

It is noted that this could prove to be an important asset for the EU in the context of China's declining economic growth and possibly increased tensions between China and the United States.

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