Xi highlights key role of new energy

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has called for greater efforts to push for the high-quality growth of the new energy sector to ensure the nation's energy security and contribute to building a clean and beautiful world.

He made the remarks while presiding over a group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Thursday.

Noting that energy security impacts a country's overall economic and social development, Xi said that developing clean energy and promoting green and low-carbon transformation have become the consensus of the international community to cope with global climate change.

China's energy development still faces a series of challenges, such as huge demand pressure, supply constraints, and the arduous tasks of green and low-carbon transformation, he said. To meet these challenges, the way out is to vigorously develop new energy, he added.

Xi pointed out that China is rich in wind power, photovoltaic and other resources, and has huge development potential in new energy. The nation has now built the world's largest clean power supply system, and its new energy vehicles, lithium batteries and photovoltaic products are also highly competitive in the global market, he said.

With a solid foundation in new energy development, China has become a key driver of global energy transformation and the fight against climate change, Xi noted.

Last year witnessed an accelerated pace of green and low-carbon transformation in China. The total installed capacity of renewable energy in the country reached 1.45 billion kilowatts in 2023, accounting for over 50 percent of the country's total installed power generation capacity and historically surpassing that of thermal power, according to data from the National Energy Administration.

The international competitiveness of China's wind and photovoltaic industries has become increasingly prominent. NEA said that in 2023, China's production of key components, such as wind turbines, accounted for over 70 percent of the global market, while the production proportion of polysilicon, silicon wafers, solar cells and modules in the photovoltaic industry all exceeded 80 percent of the global total.

To promote the high-quality development of new energy, Xi underlined the need to deal with the relationships between new energy and traditional energy, the government and the market, as well as energy development and energy conservation.

He emphasized the importance of targeting globally cutting-edge technology in the energy sector, intensifying joint efforts in making progress in core technologies in key fields and enhancing the transformation and application of research achievements.

He called for fostering industries associated with energy technology as new drivers for upgrading the country's industries, thereby promoting the development of new productive forces.

Xi also underscored the need to further develop the infrastructure network for new energy, advance the intelligent transformation of power grid infrastructure, and accelerate the construction of a charging infrastructure network to support the rapid development of new energy vehicles.

It is important to deepen international cooperation in new energy technological innovation, he said, urging efforts to promote international cooperation in the industrial chain of the new energy sector and build a new win-win model for green and low-carbon transformation.

China should also actively participate in the reform of international energy governance, promoting the establishment of a fair, just, balanced and inclusive global energy governance system, Xi said.

caodesheng@chinadaily.com.cn