China’s Climate and Energy Partnerships in the Global South

China has positioned itself as a leader in green technology innovation, utilizing aid, trade, and investment to support the energy transition in the Global South. Through mechanisms like the Belt and Road Initiative and the South–South Climate Cooperation Fund, China has deployed renewable energy, electric vehicles, and sustainable agricultural technologies across Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. However, the effectiveness of these partnerships is hindered by gaps between environmental commitments and actual impacts, limited local operational capacity, geopolitical tensions with Western nations, and difficulties in meeting global ESG standards.

• China utilizes several financial and strategic frameworks to facilitate green technology transfer, including the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and a CNY8 20-billion South–South Climate Cooperation Fund (SSCCF). The SSCCF specifically targets "enhancing climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts in developing countries," with annual spending on South–South climate cooperation estimated at approximately $72 million.
• China has established specific bilateral and regional demonstration centres to showcase and transfer green technologies. These include the China–Africa Clean Energy Technology Demonstration Centre in Kenya, which focuses on photovoltaic, wind, and biomass energy, and the China–ASEAN Green Technology Demonstration Centre in Thailand, which targets green building, transport, and agriculture.
• Beyond energy, China promotes sustainable agriculture through 'Juncao technology', which enables smallholder farmers to grow mushrooms from dried, chopped grass without deforestation. This specific technology has been applied in 17 countries within the Global South.
• The document identifies a significant gap between China's stated environmental goals and the real-world outcomes of the Belt and Road Initiative. Evidence suggests that projects such as solar farms and hydroelectric plants "have not fully compensated for the environmental degradation and resource overuse that have occurred."
• A primary obstacle to the sustainability of green projects is the lack of local capacity to maintain advanced technologies, leading to a "heavy reliance on external expertise." This is particularly evident in the maintenance of wind turbines and solar panels, where local personnel may lack the necessary technical background.
• Geopolitical competition between China and Western nations complicates technology adoption in the Global South. Host countries often face dilemmas when navigating competing offers, and the perception of Chinese initiatives as "tools for geopolitical influence" can undermine the acceptance of the technology.
• China faces technical barriers in accounting and auditing that result in lagging environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosure. This has been linked to socio-environmental issues in large-scale infrastructure projects, such as ecosystem disruption and community displacement.

APA

CHUANHONG, Z., & HAISEN, L. (2024). China’s Climate and Energy Partnerships in the Global South. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/SAIIA_PB_297_ChinaClimateEnergy.pdf

Chicago

CHUANHONG, ZHANG, and LIN HAISEN. China’s Climate and Energy Partnerships in the Global South. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2024. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/SAIIA_PB_297_ChinaClimateEnergy.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=CHUANHONG |first1=ZHANG |last2=HAISEN |first2=LIN |title=China’s Climate and Energy Partnerships in the Global South |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=July 2024 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/SAIIA_PB_297_ChinaClimateEnergy.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chuanhong2024chinas, author = {CHUANHONG, ZHANG and HAISEN, LIN}, title = {{China’s Climate and Energy Partnerships in the Global South}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2024}, month = jul, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/SAIIA_PB_297_ChinaClimateEnergy.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }