China’s world-beating solar industry is in turmoil
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China | Dimming prospects<br>China’s world-beating solar industry is in turmoil<br>The Gulf war won’t save it<br>Share
Photograph: Getty Images
May 26th 2026|Beijing|6 min read
AS AMERICA’S WAR on Iran roils energy markets, China’s clean-energy companies would be expected to be cashing in. The country makes over 80% of the world’s solar panels, churning them out in vast quantities. Thanks to such efforts, renewable sources generated more electricity than coal last year around the world. Yet China’s solar industry, though world-beating, is in trouble. And the boost from the war has not been enough to steady it.
This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Dimming prospects”
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