Politico reports:

America’s allies, stung by soaring energy costs due to Washington’s attacks on Iran, are confronting an uncomfortable truth: The escape route from fossil fuel shocks leads straight into China’s arms.

From the European Union and the United Kingdom to South Korea and the Philippines, numerous countries have responded to the war-driven spike in oil and gas prices with calls to accelerate electrification and the rollout of clean energy infrastructure.

While that doesn’t offer an immediate fix to higher costs, governments see clean, domestic energy sources, such as renewables and nuclear power, as the obvious long-term solution to protect their economies from the ups and downs of global fossil fuel markets.

But there’s also an obvious catch: The faster they move to decarbonize, the more they will have to rely on China to supply the necessary materials. After all, Beijing controls the overwhelming majority of the world’s clean technology and critical mineral supply.

Governments, uneasy about the idea of swapping one dependence for another, are keenly aware of that fact. The question now is whether they’ll put those reservations aside in favor of bolstering their energy security or continue taking measures to protect their economies from China’s dominance.

“How can we explain to our fellow citizens that decarbonization is an opportunity if our batteries are made in China?” the EU’s industry chief, Stéphane Séjourné, asked last month when proposing new legislation that would require the bloc’s 27 governments to spend more taxpayer money on domestically produced green technologies and limit foreign investment by dominant players — a move widely interpreted as targeting Beijing.

The EU has long been cautious about hobbling its domestic industries by allowing in too many Chinese goods: The bloc’s carbon tax is aimed at protecting its industries from cheap emissions-intensive imports like those made in China. Meanwhile, the British government last month blocked a Chinese company from building a $2 billion wind turbine factory in Scotland over unspecified national security concerns.

At the same time, countries seeking to accelerate their green transition — U.S. allies included — have been looking to shore up relations with China.

Germany’s economy minister will head to Beijing next month, shortly after the country’s chancellor and environment minister visited in an effort to woo Chinese investors and learn from the country’s clean tech boom. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez went this week for the fourth time in as many years, with an eye on securing access to critical raw materials. The leaders of the U.K., Canada, Finland and Ireland also made the trip in recent months.

It’s not just Western countries: An Indian business delegation recently visited China to explore green energy partnerships; Emirati Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan discussed closer energy ties with Beijing this week; and Cuba has leaned on Chinese solar panels amid an effective oil blockade by Washington. [Continue reading…]