This article discusses why it is in China & Europe's interest to co-operate in accelerating the global transition away from fossil fuels. The TLDR version is that they both depend on external sources for their fossil fuels, and this dependence/leverage is increasingly a national security risk.
However, the article is light on details as to how this might happen.
Some people worry about Chinese imports overwhelming domestic Euro-producers. Europe produces its own wind turbines, but not many solar panels. Europe's fossil fuel imports are in the range of €400 billion a year. Wouldn't it be better to transfer more of that spending to Chinese batteries/solar? At least once it's done, it's a secure energy source, based on home soil, that will last for years to come.
ARTICLE – A China-Europe energy alliance could deliver a new world order
A China-Europe energy alliance could deliver a new world order.
byu/lughnasadh inFuturology
14 Comments
China imports already killed of european companies, it cant be avoided because people want cheap.
Been saying sinse tariffs war started we should leaning away from the US and more into China.
Just fix Russia issue and do trades with China.
I, for one, welcome our new Eurasian Overlords!
But seriously, who would have thought such a thing possible by going how it was just a few years ago?
Chinese companies must then produce safe products. EU must now stop products which are not safe enough according EU regulations
Europe must start start being independent from both thebUS, Russia and China. There’s a perfect slogan: Make Europe Great Again!
This makes no logical sense in the long run due to decline in population facing both along with lack of naval capacity in both to ensure trade in high seas.
If Europe could get over it’s ridiculous anti Chinese propaganda it’d be able to benefit from improved relations. Currently they just shoot themselves in the foot over ridiculous hypocritical ideological points. Say what you want about China but Europe already deal with the US who are blatantly evil. At least China is stable and reliable and offering good deals.
Yes you can say they lose industry to China but they already sold that off long ago, it’s not coming back, might as well integrate and benefit from the cheap energy. Europe still has a lot of economic clout, cheap energy can preserve that.
An energy alliance with China – the country whose banks are enabling Russia to evade sanctions imposed due to its hybrid war on all of Europe? The country providing Russia with satellite intel for targeting innocent Europeans with bombs? The country providing Russia with rocket fuel and weaponry to murder Europeans? The country supporting Iran and N. Korea, which have sent their soldiers and weaponry to murder Europeans?
That’s the country Europe should have closer ties to?
What could possibly go wrong?
Speaking as a European who lives within easy range of Russian weapons supplied by China… Europe needs a massive project to establish energy independence for the sake of security.
What we need at the moment is a global rebalancing of the global economy, the thing is working barely becouse international law are flawed, and USA and CHINA are “abusing” the glitches.
Moving with a deeper alliance with China while they try at the same time to screw us, isn’t pratical at this point.
Moreso while they still support russia and his anti-european campaign.
Whats the point of switching our energy reliance from one brutal dictatorship to another.
We don’t want to give that kind of power to China. Solar panels can’t be manufactured without rare earths and neither can batteries. You need new sources that aren’t controlled by CHina
So we will stop being an american colony and become a chinese one? What a beautiful prospect … , instead of installing nuclear power to reduce energy costs and thus help production in europe ..
For that the Europeans would need to stop looking at China through Washington’s lenses.
I don’t know. I understand Europe wanting a bit more distance from America, but going into partnership with China? China and Russia are in it together to support each other’s territorial claims, and spheres of influence. So as long as you are ok with partnering with a country that supports Russian claims… But then the other option isn’t much better…
>However, the article is light on details as to how this might happen.
China produces solar panels. An area of Sahara 100km x 100km is sufficient to produce as much electricity as 100% of the current global demand. China also has such deserts.
Theres no reason why we cannot drive down the cost of the same technology.
China was cheaper because worker wages and other costs were much less, now its comparable to some parts of Europe.
Europe should focus on why we lag and why China policy in many areas leads, and what we can get from it.
The cost effectiveness of solar panels isnt dramatically changed by the price difference in Eurooe, since they are wildly profitable over their lives, its all the other costs, planning, regs and restrictions.