Roughly one-third of China’s total energy consumption now comes from electricity, according to the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, 50 percent higher than the global average. Natural gas accounts for just 4 percent of power generation in China, according to the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. “When you look at everything China has done, it has hedged its exposure in a way that few other countries have,” said Michal Meidan, director of the China energy program at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. Trump has recently depressed growth in wind and solar energy by blocking nearly complete projects and cutting incentives that encourage development of renewable energy. China may also benefit from the energy shock from the Iran conflict by appearing to be a more acceptable partner for building out renewable energy.

Source: Washington Post March 13, 2026 15:01 UTC