China emerges as green energy leader, offering cooperation opportunities for Europe: Finnish media

HELSINKI, July 30 (Xinhua) -- China has taken the lead in global green energy development, and Europe stands to benefit from closer and deeper cooperation with the country amid rising demand for clean technologies, Finnish business daily Kauppalehti reported Wednesday.

China has established itself as the world's top installer of renewable energy and a major producer of key clean technologies, including solar panels, electric vehicles and lithium-ion batteries. Its success is attributed to long-term strategic planning and substantial state support over the past decade, Kauppalehti said.

Kauppalehti also highlighted China's growing contribution to global clean energy research. Chinese researchers now publish significantly more high-impact scientific papers on clean technologies than other counterparts, reflecting rising innovation capacity in addition to manufacturing strength.

While China's scale and research advances have posed some challenges for European manufacturers, Finnish experts believe the widespread availability of cost-effective Chinese technologies has also helped accelerate Europe's own green transition, the newspaper said.

"Due to low costs, solar power and battery solutions are now moderately profitable in Finland," said Janne Peljo, climate expert at the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK), noting that improved cost-performance over the past decade has supported local deployment of clean energy technologies.

Rather than viewing China's progress as a threat, Kauppalehti suggested it should be seen as an opportunity, one that calls for deeper dialogue, joint innovation and mutually beneficial cooperation between Europe and China in pursuit of global climate goals.

Finnish analysts noted that while Europe should strengthen its resilience through diversification and innovation, it is equally important to maintain stable and constructive ties with China in the field of green energy.

International cooperation in research and development will also be vital to advancing the next generation of clean technologies. Healthy competition with Chinese industries may also encourage European innovation, Juuso Kaaresvirta, senior economist at the Bank of Finland, told Kauppalehti.

Finland, for its part, may play a special role. As Europe seeks to build its own supply chains, Finland's expertise in sustainable mining and materials science could contribute to broader efforts across the continent. "It will open up some pretty good economic opportunities for us," Peljo said.