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China energy security
EconomyChina Economy

Xi Jinping touts China’s new-energy prowess as Joe Biden bashes its auto policies

  • Ahead of biggest political event of the year, China’s energy security gets more play against the backdrop of international criticism
  • President Xi’s fresh comments come as his American counterpart warns that China’s auto-related practices pose risks to US national security

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Visitors walk past a video of President Xi Jinping at the Museum of the Communist Party of China in Beijing on Thursday, ahead of next week’s opening of the annual session of China’s legislature. Photo: AFP
Sylvia Ma

Even as the rapidly rising strength and pace of China’s new-energy exports have provoked international scrutiny and a degree of green protectionism, President Xi Jinping has big ambitions to push the sector’s boundaries, seeing it as a hi-tech tonic to invigorate economic growth.

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During a study session of the 24-member Politburo on Thursday, China’s leader also vowed to further tap the strategic industry’s potential while boasting its international competitiveness.

His comments came just ahead of leadership’s biggest political event of the year, the “two sessions” parliamentary gatherings. Policy advisers and lawmakers will convene on Monday to discuss critical economic matters, unveil the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) target for 2024, and reflect on potential countermeasures to Western containment efforts.

“China now leads the world in many new-energy technologies and in equipment manufacturing levels, and it has built the world’s largest clean-power-supply system,” Xi said, according to party mouthpiece Xinhua.

“As new-energy vehicles, lithium batteries and photovoltaic products have also formed strong competition in the international market, we now have a good foundation for new-energy development,” Xi added.

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