I am back from Beijing after presenting at the 8th International CCUS Forum hosted by CTSA-CCUS and Sinopec. Seeing the scale of deployment on the ground reinforced a critical shift: China is no longer just the world’s “demand engine”—it is becoming the definitive “supply superpower” of the energy transition.
This week, we explored what that pivot means for the rest of the world.
The Focus: China’s evolving role in the global energy system.
The event highlighted that China is operating with a dual identity: it is simultaneously the world’s largest emitter and its largest supplier of critical transition components (like solar panels). The tension between these two identities - driver of demand and force for change - is reshaping the global energy system.
The Analysis: To understand the macro implications, I parsed the IEA’s World Energy Outlook 2025.
The post, “China’s Pivot From Demand Driver to Supply Superpower,” uncovers a second-order effect of Western protectionism. By restricting access to advanced economies, the West is inadvertently forcing China’s massive clean energy surplus toward the Global South.
The Insight: Developing nations with the highest solar potential are set to be the primary beneficiaries of China’s “excess” low-cost capacity.
Read the full analysis in “China’s Pivot From Demand Drive to Supply Superpower”.
The Conversation: Graham and I share more about our experience in Beijing during our weekly Coffee Chat including observations of China’s mobile-first ecosystem, the massive scale of infrastructure development, and the quiet prevalence of electric vehicles.
Watch the replay of 47 Hours in Beijing.
The Visual: One image to save.
China dominates global manufacturing capacity for many clean energy technologies, but nearly half is is “excess”.
Bonus
Canada-Alberta Energy MOU
Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) today composed of a trade-off between Federal regulatory relief and binding Provincial carbon mandates.
Love your post. A must read to cut through the politics and get to the facts. Keep up the amazing good work!!