Deals in Asia and Latin America demonstrate China’s leadership as Trump labels wind and solar power ‘the scam of the century’
As America retreats from clean energy investment around the world, with US President Donald Trump labelling wind and solar power “the scam of the century” on Wednesday, Chinese “cleantech” firms have been striding into emerging markets in Southeast and Central Asia and Latin America.
Mabill Technologies, a Malaysian cleantech start-up developing a predictive AI algorithm that will connect energy efficiency analytics and sustainable cooling solutions, said Chinese investors had been showing “renewed interest” in its business.
Chinese cleantech firms “are deepening their influence in Asean by embedding proprietary technologies into local supply chains”, said Seemantani Sharma, co-founder of the company, noting that China was “explicitly projecting itself as a hub for clean energy”.
Through “tech diplomacy with long-term supply chain capture”, she said China transferred selective know-how while “retaining control of critical intellectual property through joint ventures, training academies and Belt and Road-funded infrastructure”.
