Wind energy and solar panel. (PHOTO: VCG)

It is a significant achievement to bring renewable energy manufacturing back to American soil, however, it is unclear whether this goal can be achieved without disrupting the global supply chain in which China is a major player.

Blind dependence creates energy security risks while overt decoupling slows green technological deployment and endangers the global climate agenda. Having witnessed the disruptive decoupling of the semiconductor industry, it is critical that both countries weigh the costs and benefits before making decisions driven by geopolitical impetus regarding renewable energy manufacturing.

The global renewable energy transformation depends not on who builds more manufacturing capacity, but rather on how fast the planet can reduce its carbon footprint.

With geopolitical tensions on the rise between the top two global emitters, balancing renewable energy collaboration and strategic competition carries ramifications not only for bilateral relations but also for the global effort to combat climate change.

The global transition to clean energy is speeding up. America's low-carbon transformation, as widely noted, will likely be slow and costly if decoupled from Chinese involvement.

Cheng Li & Xiuye Zhao, https://www.brookings.edu, Brookings Institution, 14-06-2023