The rise in oil prices, driven by tensions in the Middle East, coincides with the opening in Beijing of the XVI China International Clean Energy Exhibition, a showcase for an expanding sector in the Asian country.
The event brings together around 800 exhibitors at the National Convention Center until Friday, in Beijing, with the participation of companies and sector experts.
The recent increase in the price of crude oil, associated with the escalation of the conflict and tensions in the Strait of Hormuz – through which 45% of Chinese oil imports pass – had a direct impact on China.
On Monday, there were queues at gas stations, on the eve of the price rise, highlighting the country’s exposure to fluctuations in the international market.
Exhibitors dedicated to hydrogen occupy a significant part of the fair.
China has been reinforcing the role of this technology in recent years: in 2024 it included, for the first time, the development of hydrogen in the Government’s work report, committing to “accelerate the development of hydrogen-based energy” as part of the energy transition.
The event takes place in parallel with the rapid expansion of renewable energy in China, which in 2025 again reached peaks: solar capacity increased by 35%, to around 1,200 gigawatts (GW), and wind capacity grew by 23%, to around 640 GW, consolidating the country as a world leader in both technologies.
According to recent data, the combined capacity of wind and solar energy will already exceed 1,690 GW in 2025, around triple that recorded in 2020, representing the majority of new electrical capacity installed in the country in recent years.
This advance is also reflected in the structure of the energy system: renewables represented more than 35% of electricity in 2025, with strong growth in solar and wind, with these sources having, at times, generated more than 25% of total electrical production.
China’s goals are to reach a peak in carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060, in addition to reducing emissions per unit of GDP by at least 60% compared to 2005 and increasing the weight of non-fossil energy in the energy system.
The new five-year plan (2026-2030), approved this month, focuses on “boosting green and low-carbon development” and “promoting the energy transition”.
According to reports from the organizations Ember and Greenpeace, the growth of renewables and electrification is reshaping the Chinese energy system: between 2015 and 2023, the use of fossil fuels in final consumption fell by 1.7%, while electricity consumption increased by 65%.
The importance of the sector was also evident at a symposium held as part of the fair, where expert Fang Ting stated that photovoltaic energy went from “complementary capacity to main capacity” in the Chinese energy system.
Leave a Reply