Global Strategy Lab: the UK’s geopolitical choices and trade-offs on clean tech

As the UK pursues its ambition to become a “clean energy superpower”, it will have to navigate working with major geopolitical partners, like China and the EU, and the strategic trade-offs involved with aligning closer with one over the other. China has become an increasingly important supplier, investor, and manufacturer across key clean technologies, including electric vehicles and wind power. Chinese firms offer scale, speed, and cost advantages that can help deliver UK’s climate and energy goals. But at the same time, it raises questions around supply chain resilience, security of critical energy infrastructure, and the extent to which Chinese clean tech investment delivers local economic value. These issues are increasingly shaping European debates too, as the EU plans to tighten investment screening, strengthen local content preferences, and prioritises trusted suppliers. This raises questions for the UK government on how different approaches to Chinese clean tech investment might affect the UK’s relations with the EU.

In this context, the workshop will discuss the following questions:

• What approach should the UK take to align clean tech deployment, economic growth, and security goals in governing clean technology investment and technologies from China?
• To what extent should the UK’s trade and industrial policies be linked to/informed by evolving EU conditions on foreign investments and cybersecurity risks in strategic clean technology sectors?
• How would UK choices on Chinese investment, supply chains, and market participation in clean technology sectors shape wider UK–EU cooperation on trade, investment, and energy?