China boosts profitable renewables as Trump clings to coal

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on DW or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: As the Trump administration rolls back clean energy policies and doubles down on coal, China is accelerating renewable deployment and consolidating its dominance in global clean tech manufacturing.

🔭 The context: Two diverging energy strategies
• China added 318 GW of new solar and 120 GW of wind capacity in 2025 alone
• Total grid-connected wind and solar capacity has reached 1.8 terawatts (1.8 billion kW)
• The US installed just over 20 GW of wind and solar last year by comparison
• China manufactures over 80% of the world’s solar panels, 60% of wind turbines, and 75% of EVs and batteries
• Meanwhile, the US is expanding coal and natural gas under Trump’s push to revive “clean coal”

🌍 Why it matters for climate and competitiveness: Clean tech as industrial strategy
• China may have already reached peak CO₂ emissions ahead of schedule
• The median new car sold in China is now an electric vehicle, compared to roughly 10% EV market share in the US
• Producing solar panels in the US can cost up to five times more than in China
• Clean energy jobs in the US previously outnumbered oil, gas, and coal jobs by more than three to one, before recent policy reversals
• Analysts warn the US risks becoming an “island of combustion vehicles” as the rest of the world electrifies

⏭️ What’s next: Leadership vacuum or realignment?
• China is increasingly framing climate action as an economic growth engine rather than a burden
• The US has stepped away from dozens of international climate and energy fora, potentially ceding diplomatic influence
• Global markets may continue shifting toward Chinese clean tech supply chains
• The long-term question is whether US policy reversals slow its competitiveness in rapidly expanding sectors like batteries and EVs

📈 One stat: China installed more than 300 GW of new wind and solar capacity in 2025, compared to just over 20 GW in the United States — a gap that underscores the scale difference in their energy transitions.

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