BEIJING, Jan 22 (Reuters) – China defended its wind power record and reinforced its commitment to promote the global transition to low-carbon energy, after U.S. President Donald Trump’s criticism at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
“China’s efforts to tackle climate change and promote the development and application of renewable energy in the world are obvious to all,” Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, said at a regular press conference on Thursday.
In a speech to delegates at the Davos meeting including political and business leaders, Trump said China makes almost all of the windmills but he had not “been able to find any wind farms in China”, characterising China’s buyers as “stupid”.
Guo said that China’s installed capacity of wind power has ranked first in the world for 15 consecutive years, and its exports of wind power and photovoltaic products reduced carbon emissions by about 4.1 billion tons for other countries.
“As a responsible developing country, China is willing to work with all parties to continue to promote the global green and low-carbon transformation,” he said.
Trump has been openly critical of wind power, calling wind turbines ugly, expensive and inefficient. Offshore wind developers face repeated disruptions under his administration.
China is the world’s leading producer of wind power. The European Union launched an investigation in 2024 into subsidies received by Chinese suppliers of wind turbines destined for Europe, aiming to shield domestic firms from cheap Chinese imports. Beijing has called the probe an act of “protectionism”.
Wind and solar power produced more electricity than fossil fuels in the EU for the first time last year, indicating the bloc’s continued shift towards low-carbon energy despite resistance from some governments.
(Reporting by Colleen Howe and Ethan Wang; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
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