Complementary, Cooperative or Competitive? The EU’s and China’s Engagement in Global Net-Zero Emissions Development
Ten years after the Paris Agreement, the geopolitical landscape of climate action has fundamentally shifted. China has become the world's dominant clean technology power, the United States under Trump has abandoned climate multilateralism and the US attack on Iran has unleashed a global energy crisis that may paradoxically speed up the transition to renewables. Caught between fossil fuel dependence on the US and technological reliance on China, the EU faces a defining strategic moment.
This policy paper examines how the EU and China interact across the Global South in support of net-zero development – and what that means for European strategy. Drawing on case studies from Kenya, South Africa, the Philippines, Namibia, Morocco, and the DRC, it shows that the question is not whether, but how the EU engages with China – competitively, complementarily, or cooperatively, depending on the context. Europe’s strength lies not in matching China's manufacturing scale, but in leveraging its specific advantages – development financing, governance expertise, and regulatory power – more strategically and consistently than before.
Product details
Table of contents
Executive Summary
Foreword
Introduction: The EU at the Crossroads of Climate, Energy, and Economic Security
1 Positive Tipping Points: The Electrotech and Electrification Revolution
1.1 Bottlenecks: Persistent Disparities and Structural Barriers
1.2 Political and Commercial Motivations: Green Transition Economies in the US, China, and the EU
1.3 The EU’s Engagement in Net-Zero Development: Ambitions, Assets, and Constraints
1.4 China’s Strategic Clean Technology Expansion: Speed, Scale, and Debt
2 Forms of Engagement: Complementarity, Cooperation, and Competition
2.1 Complementarity
2.2 Cooperation
2.3 Competition
3 In Practice: Triangular Engagement for Net-Zero Development with the EU and China
3.1 #Complementarity – EU Stakes in Chinese Electrotech Deployment: The Case of EV Start-up BasiGo (Kenya)
3.2 #Complementarity – EU Finance and Chinese Development for Large-scale Solar in Redstone (South Africa)
3.3 #Complementarity – Beautiful and Cost-effective: Rooftop Solar and Grid Integration (Philippines)
3.4 #Competition – Green Hydrogen: European Advantages at Risk (Namibia) and Strategic Coexistence (Morocco)
3.5 #Cooperation – Critical Minerals: An Opportunity for EU-China under African Leadership
4 Recommendations for EU Policy-Makers
Bibliography
Abbreviations
Authors
Acknowledgments
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