Indonesia produces more than half of the world’s nickel output – a critical component in batteries for four- and two-wheel electric vehicles (EVs). Mostly Chinese-owned smelters work around the clock in Sulawesi to process the nickel ore and ship it across the globe. Indonesia’s resource nationalism – the government policy banning ore exports and forcing domestic processing appears to have worked well – but only in the upstream segment of the supply chains.

Aviation is one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions globally, contributing around 2.5% of total global CO₂ emissions. In China, aviation contributes about 12% of the nation’s transport-related emissions, making it a critical sector to address as the country aims for carbon neutrality by 2060. Despite ambitious global targets, international sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production is falling behind schedule. A recent report highlights that worldwide production could fall 30% to 45% short of the global aviation sector’s 2030 goals due to high production costs, economic uncertainty, and slow adoption rates.

China’s expanding global loan portfolio gives Beijing extraordinary economic and strategic leverage as it competes with the United States on technology, global supply chains, and critical rare minerals. Accurately determining its overseas investments (grants, loans, other financial instruments) however has long been a guessing game. Such Chinese data can’t be easily found in traditional international reporting systems like the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI).  Chinese data can vary by source, much of which is hard to decipher as investments are displayed in the aggregate rather than by individual projects. Gaps in data and Chinese-language only publications present other obstacles to transparency. 

Ford’s CEO was so impressed by the Xiaomi SU7 that he now uses it as his daily driver. The Chinese-made electric vehicle (EV) has a 345 mile driving range on a single charge and costs just $30,000. There is nothing like it in the U.S.

In late 2023, Indonesia’s then President Joko Widodo presided over the launch of the country’s first floating solar power plant on the Cirata reservoir in West Java. Widodo touted how at 192MW it was “the largest floating solar plant in Southeast Asia.” He added the solar plant could eventually reach 500MW, generating enough electricity to power over 100,000 households in Indonesia. This floating powerhouse, made up of 300,000+ Chinese-built PV panels stretching 250 hectares on the water, has become the poster child for Indonesia’s commitment to going solar. 

The most persuasive argument for global EV adoption is the positive impact that these vehicles have for the environment. A scientific consensus has emerged around the benefits of electric vehicles and their zero tailpipe emissions, ranging from local air quality improvement to increased energy efficiency.  

Launched in 2013, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has drawn wide global attention, with scholars and policymakers examining its geopolitical and economic implications. Much less explored, however, are the subnational impacts of BRI in participating countries. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), adopted as Pakistan’s flagship BRI project in 2015, offers a case in point.

Summer is often a time for grim climate milestones, as ever-more intense heatwaves scorch large swathes of the planet. But this year, the bad news arrived earlier than usual when the United States refrained from sending representatives to the UN-sponsored climate talks in Bonn, Germany, for the first time in the talks’ 30-year history. The intercessional talks are in some ways more important ever than the more widely reported on climate COPs because they are where many especially tricky issues are negotiated. The Trump Administration’s unilateral withdrawal from international negotiations is bad news for the climate. But it is even worse news for US national security. Climate diplomacy is a big part of soft power and influence, and Washington is rapidly losing out to Beijing.