Rev Left Radio China's Green Development: Anti-Imperialist and Socialist
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Apr 22, 2026 Ashwin Shantha, a doctoral researcher on political economy and host of International Solidarity, discusses China’s green rise as a political project rooted in planning, sovereignty, and solidarity. Short takes cover how China built solar, wind, and EV industries, the role of industrial policy and disciplining capital, Belt and Road as South–South infrastructure, and debates over state capitalism versus a socialist market.
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Author's Personal Background Shaped His China Perspective
- Ashwin draws on his background (Indian origin, raised in Hong Kong, based in Canada) to study China and South Asia, informing his comparative perspective.
- He used Chinese primary sources and long-term research to write the essay for left audiences in the global north.
Decades Long Green Planning Built China's Edge
- China intentionally planned green industries decades ago, starting NEV planning in 2001 and renewables planning in 2006, producing today's global leadership in solar, wind, and EVs.
- Long-term, systems-based State Council planning used targets and coordinated public policy rather than quarter-to-quarter market logic to build capacity over 20+ years.
Green Growth Is Framed As Anti-Imperialist Sovereignty
- China's green push is rooted in anti-imperialist goals: energy and technological sovereignty trace back to the 1949 revolution's focus on regaining production and sovereignty.
- Building indigenous industry was seen as defense against imperial extraction and deindustrialization from colonial-era plunder.