China’s rapid surge of overseas cleantech investment is reshaping global power dynamics, with more than US$180 billion committed since early 2023, according to a new report, as developing nations turn to Beijing to bolster energy security and hedge against an unpredictable United States.
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The report from a research and policy platform China Environment Forum (CEF) on Monday shows an 80 per cent jump in Chinese outbound commitments to clean-technology projects in just a single year, cementing China’s role as the dominant manufacturer and financier of solar panels, batteries, electric vehicles (EVs) and grid infrastructure.
Analysts say the shift is accelerating a broader reorientation of economic ties toward Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East, where governments are seeking affordable energy, industrial upgrading and geopolitical flexibility.
Many countries are deploying green industrial policies to channel Chinese capital into domestic value chains. Incentives such as fast-tracked permits, local content rules and restrictions on certain imports are prompting Chinese firms to establish joint ventures, research and development (R&D) centres and large-scale industrial parks rather than simply exporting equipment.
Brazil is moving ahead with a net zero industrial park led by Envision Energy, while BYD has opened a US$1 billion EV plant intended for regional export, according to the report.
Chile is advancing a US$4 billion grid acquisition and expansion through China Southern Power Grid, and Indonesia has begun work on CATL’s US$6 billion battery integration project spanning mining to recycling.
Spain has broken ground on a €4.1 billion (US$4.7 billion) CATL–Stellantis gigafactory, Saudi Arabia has agreed with Chinese partners to produce 20 gigawatts (GW) of solar ingots and wafers annually, and Morocco is preparing for a US$5.6 billion battery plant serving Europe and the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Nigeria has secured an US$8.27 billion green hydrogen partnership with LONGi, while Laos and Peru have completed major wind and hydropower projects backed by Chinese investors.
These ventures reflect, the report noted, China’s growing indispensability to the global energy transition, offering host nations cheaper power, new jobs, technology upgrades and faster emissions reductions. They are also accelerating a restructuring of global production networks, favouring economies that align early with China’s industrial capabilities.
But the deeper partnerships bring risks, the report warned.
Countries such as Indonesia and Brazil illustrate the complexity of managing concentrated foreign investment while safeguarding local industries, environmental standards and political autonomy.
“China’s cleantech makers are now looking much more to overseas markets, as demand at home stabilises and the global energy transition speeds up. And that’s where the dilemma kicks in,” said Muyi Yang, senior energy analyst at Ember, a global energy think tank.
“Almost everyone agrees you can’t hit climate goals without working with China. But once cooperation moves to actually making clean products together, worries about over-reliance and ‘de-risking’ suddenly grow louder.”
Yang explained that the real challenge isn’t to cut China out, but it’s to build more “diversified, resilient supply chains” that still tap into China’s know-how while helping other countries grow their own clean industries.
“If they don’t, by the time their local industries finally get going, Chinese companies may have already pulled even further ahead.”
