The article from the Swiss "Geneva Forum" on October 7, titled "China Should Not Be Held Responsible for Our Industrial Failures," discusses China's leading position in green technology, often attributed to meticulously crafted national policies. In contrast, Europe and the United States have been relegated to a "B-league." This prevailing viewpoint obscures a more complex reality.
From CNENERGYNEWS
The article from the Swiss "Geneva Forum" on October 7, titled "China Should Not Be Held Responsible for Our Industrial Failures," discusses China's leading position in green technology, often attributed to meticulously crafted national policies. In contrast, Europe and the United States have been relegated to a "B-league." This prevailing viewpoint obscures a more complex reality.
The West fundamentally underestimates the potential of the photovoltaic industry; however, once evidence disproving this perspective emerges, it may be too late.
Bloomberg columnist David Fickling previously reviewed the early flourishing of the U.S. solar industry, which was abandoned at the end of the 1990s. Europe's situation is similar: countries initially supported but later halted solar energy development and even opted to relocate strategic facilities to China while traditional Chinese handicrafts sought new avenues for growth. Through exporting photovoltaic silicon materials and other products, Americans and Europeans profited significantly in China. Yet over a decade later, large companies formed by Chinese entrepreneurs became dominant players in this field.
Chinese photovoltaic giants are not government-led; they emerged from small entrepreneurs or old factories seeking diversification. Fickling argues that these solar enterprises received relevant subsidies; however, industrial giants in Europe and America also benefited from similar policy support. The key difference lies in the perseverance of Chinese manufacturers and the stability of government backing for green technologies—an area deemed strategically significant by Beijing.
Fickling concludes that if China has become a leader in global solar energy production, it is because while other nations remained skeptical about this form of energy, China maintained unwavering confidence. It can be asserted that driven by China's initiatives, solar power will emerge as Earth's primary source of electricity by the early 2030s.