In October 2024, Dr. Michael Davidson, Assistant Professor at the University of California, San Diego and Director of the Power Transformation Lab, visited the Fudan Development Institute as a visiting scholar. During his visit, he delivered a speech on cleaning technology and global supply chains. Recently, he was interviewed by FT China, where he provided an in-depth analysis of the possibilities and real-world challenges of China-U.S. clean energy cooperation.

Davidson pointed out that global supply chains have significantly contributed to the cost reduction of clean energy technologies. However, amid current geopolitical tensions and security concerns, the risks of decoupling are rising. He emphasized that trade barriers are unlikely to truly strengthen domestic industries; instead, competitiveness should be built through policy incentives and long-term investment. While China and the U.S. share common climate goals, their policy approaches diverge: China has established strong advantages in electric vehicles, batteries, and critical minerals, whereas the U.S. is strengthening domestic deployment through the Inflation Reduction Act—despite partisan conflict, the strategy remains resilient. In the face of technological competition and policy differences, Davidson called for maintaining a moderate flow of technology and investment within manageable national security limits. He stressed that although there is competition between China and the U.S. in the green transition, there is also room for cooperation. He advocated for institutionalized dialogue to reduce misunderstandings and promote mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

Translated by Andeez Zlauddln

Full text in Chinese available at:

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/8ouUhgKuNZFMXA-Oo-7cTw?scene=25&sessionid=#wechat_redirect