Azernews.Az

by Alimat Aliyeva

America’s allies, facing rising energy costs amid global instability and tensions linked to U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, are confronting an uncomfortable reality: the transition away from fossil fuels is increasingly pushing them toward deeper cooperation with China, AzerNEWS reports via Politico.

Many countries — from the European Union and the United Kingdom to South Korea and the Philippines — have responded to surging oil and gas prices triggered by conflict-related disruptions by accelerating plans for electrification and expanding clean energy infrastructure. While these measures do not offer immediate relief from high costs, governments see renewables and nuclear energy as long-term tools to reduce vulnerability to shocks in global fossil fuel markets.

However, the publication highlights a key contradiction: the faster these countries move toward decarbonization, the more dependent they become on China, which dominates global supply chains for solar panels, batteries, and critical minerals.

“Governments wary of replacing one dependency with another are well aware of this dilemma,” the report notes. “The question now is whether they can build energy security without deepening reliance on Chinese technology, or whether pragmatism will override geopolitical concerns.”

In response, European policymakers have begun debating new measures. Stefan Sejourné, head of the EU industrial strategy, has proposed stricter rules on foreign investment in sensitive green technologies and stronger protection for domestic industries. The European Union’s carbon border tax is also intended to shield local producers from cheaper, high-emission imports, particularly from China.

At the same time, some Western governments are tightening restrictions. The United Kingdom recently paused plans for a $2 billion Chinese-linked wind turbine factory in Scotland, citing national security concerns.

Yet despite these tensions, engagement with Beijing is increasing. German economic officials are preparing high-level visits to China, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has made multiple trips to strengthen economic ties and secure access to critical raw materials, and leaders from the UK, Canada, Finland, and Ireland have also held recent talks in Beijing.

This trend is not limited to the West. Indian business delegations are exploring green partnerships with China, UAE officials are discussing expanded energy cooperation, and Cuba is increasingly relying on Chinese solar technology to offset the effects of U.S. sanctions.

Brazilian diplomat André Corrêa do Lago, who chaired last year’s UN climate talks, argues that concerns over dependency should not slow the global energy transition. “We need to advance renewable energy as efficiently as possible, recognizing current technological realities, while also developing our own industrial capacity,” he said.

A growing irony defines the current moment: the global push for energy independence is, in practice, creating new forms of interdependence — with China emerging as the central player in the clean energy era.