Outlook 2022: China’s mixed messages and changing paradigm

The Asian giant may need to increase coal supply to outlast the winter, but it is clearly greening its long-term energy policy

The severe power outages that have plagued China since September, and the government’s subsequent focus on supply security, are raising questions about whether the country is committed to its targets of peaking emissions before 2030 and reaching carbon-neutrality by 2060 (the so-called 30-60 targets). The short answer is that Beijing is not backing away from its longer-term commitments. But as the power crisis highlights, it must balance them with short-term realities. And in China’s energy-intensive post-pandemic recovery, securing reliable, affordable and clean energy supplies has become increasingly challenging. In 2022, China will grapple with reliability, as power outages are likely to