[Text/Watchman Network Liu Chenghui] After the Trump administration took office, it carried out a major cleanup on clean energy policies, exposing its true face of "climate hypocrisy" in full. Recently, at the "International Energy Security Summit" hosted by the UK, a US representative once again blew hot air about cooperation against the wind, even going so far as to absurdly claim that clean energy policies are harmful to Europe and make it susceptible to "coercion" from China.

However, all this jumping around only earned awkward silence.

On April 25, Politico reported that Trump's attempt to drive a wedge between China and Europe over clean energy issues has failed. Despite US representatives' efforts to promote American fossil fuels and claim that China benefits from this "erroneous clean energy policy," European political leaders clearly stated that their future is not about replacing Russian natural gas with American imported energy but mainly relying on clean energy. This is exactly what the US least wants to see.

From April 24 to 25, the International Energy Agency held an energy summit hosted by the UK government at Lancaster Palace in London, covering topics such as climate transition, energy security, and geopolitical risks.

European politicians did indeed exchange pleasantries with Americans at the meeting. For example, UK Prime Minister Starmer acknowledged: "Fossil fuels will remain part of our energy mix for decades to come." European Commission President von der Leyen said: "The EU has not forgotten how the US immediately provided energy when we needed it during the energy crisis."

However, when Acting Assistant Secretary for International Affairs Tommy Joyce spoke, he encountered an embarrassing moment.

On April 24, Lisa Cummins, Minister of Energy and Business Development of Barbados, and Joyce attended the conference. Reuters

Joey said to the delegates that clean energy policies were "harmful and dangerous," making Europe vulnerable to "concessions or coercion from China."

He also claimed that given China's dominance in much of the clean energy supply chain, rushing toward green transformation means prioritizing abstract emission targets and the interests of opponents over the safety of our people.

This statement left the attendees speechless.

A European official present at the time said that this "awkward but consistent" moment was quite telling.

The same European official revealed that at a closed-door meeting on April 25, US representatives tried again to convey the message that the US is the most reliable energy partner and criticized China once more.

Three officials who wished to remain anonymous said that the US comments were largely ignored, considered inconsistent with the cooperative atmosphere of the meeting.

In response to Joey's remarks, UK Energy Minister Miliband told Politico: "Overall, I think the general tone of these discussions indicates the direction people are heading, which is toward the transformation to clean energy."

Peter Chartley, director of the Climate Change Intelligence Unit, who attended the first day's talks, said: "This is an ideological confrontation with reality, and this ideology seems unusually silent and out of place, fundamentally deviating from the focus."

Jesse Young, former US State Department climate official, told reporters: "The Trump administration is fundamentally dismantling the United States' ability to project influence globally, which actually undermines the administration's own goals, whether reducing trade imbalances or countering China."

He added: "We are damaging our credibility with many other important partners and allies."

The US Department of Energy did not respond to requests for comment. When media requested interviews with Joey, he said: "I don't talk much to the media."

The report noted that Europeans are not ignoring the fact that China dominates the clean energy supply chain, and some officials also believe that excessive reliance on a single source creates "risks."

However, in the eyes of British and EU leaders, American fossil fuels are not the solution to the problem. Instead, they prefer to develop domestic clean technology industries to compete with China.

Von der Leyen said: "Clean, domestic renewable energy not only strengthens our direct resilience but also undoubtedly stimulates a large number of job opportunities and drives more innovation within our economy."

It is worth noting that before the summit opened, The Guardian reported that China would not attend the summit due to scheduling conflicts, which was a blow to the UK. The Trump administration sent a climate-denying official to attend the conference, attempting to use the opportunity to hinder energy transitions and increase dependence on American oil and gas resources.

Industry insiders pointed out that it was very disappointing that the summit invited global fossil fuel giants and major oil-producing countries but overlooked truly climate-critical nations. A founder of an industry organization said that China's absence was a significant setback for the industry but demonstrated that China would not succumb to the Trump administration's tough tactics to hinder progress.

"China leads the world in renewable energy and electric vehicles. Their refusal to participate sends a clear signal that they will not bow to the Trump administration's tough tactics to hinder progress," said Zepora Berman, founder of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative.

Robby McPherson, former head of the UK Parliament's All-Party Group on Climate Change, said: "The transition away from fossil fuels requires the participation of all emitting countries. Cooperation with China is crucial to ensure actions to protect the Earth and usher in the era of renewable energy."

It is worth noting that in recent years, China's development of clean energy technology has been impressive, and it provides related technologies and services to other countries, lowering the cost of using green technologies globally. Some Western countries that once claimed to be environmental advocates have instead used environmental protection as a pretext to squeeze the development rights of other countries, indulging in geopolitical confrontation.

At present, China's installed capacity of wind and solar power has surpassed that of coal-fired power for the first time.

Yale University recently pointed out in a report that China has become the world's largest renewable energy powerhouse: in the past 20 years, China's renewable energy installed capacity has achieved remarkable growth, far exceeding that of other countries worldwide.

This not only signifies a revolution in energy models but also a shift in geopolitical balances. Energy has always been a lever of global power. China becoming the world's largest producer of clean energy may have profound economic impacts. As the US faces stagnation in hydrocarbon production, China's rise as a superpower in solar and nuclear energy redefines the future of energy hegemony. In this field, China has taken the lead.

In contrast, Trump's first executive order after taking office in January prioritized the release of America's fossil fuel production, suspended federal wind projects, froze funding for clean energy projects, and announced that the US would withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change again.

There are also Republicans who weaponize the climate issue, urging Trump to retain clean energy tax credits solely to "prevent China or other hostile countries from profiting."

In response to the repeated hype by Western countries on clean energy issues, China has repeatedly emphasized that it has always attached great importance to addressing climate change and is actively promoting the green transformation of energy and industrial structure adjustment. Developed countries should honor their commitments and create favorable conditions for international green cooperation. Protectionism, unilateralism, and politicization will only harm the common interests of the international community.

This article is an exclusive contribution from Watchman Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7498342508867617290/

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