Why is the West so desperate to compete with China's solar sector? | Transforming Business 

If I can compete, I want to”free market”, if I can’t compete, I want “fair market “

So the US and EU can give subsidies “to stay competitive”. But if any other country give subsidies to stay competitive. They’ve sinned

Because of lost in competition .. The main reason Germany+U$A come up with "XingJiang forced labour " story . From an expert never even been to China.

10 years ago: Solar good. - China supplies cheap solar panels: Now solar bad

Due to the European sanction in the past, China has develop a fully independent solar power industry. LOL

It is not subsidies. China built a complete supply chain from mining to manufacturing to logistics, with the economies of scale to boot. No other country can match that. They are not violating free trade agreements. They just being more competitive. And it is all the better for the world.

Did China sit down and waited for the solar panels to grow on trees? Like everything else: through work.

when western says "lets work towards green energy".Only China started....But now western regret.....

Why can't Chinese companies make profit? Should all profits go to the West and poor countries stay poor? China is a very good example of how a poor country can develop. It took only 30 years for the transformation which is astonishingly fast. Say whatever you want, but China shows a way to all developing countries.

Western countries also heavily subsidize solar companies. It says so in your own video. The reason they are not competitive isn't because Chinese subsidies. This is simply another scape goat.

As an industrial electronics technician I had to quit in the western industry (at ZF Friedrichshafen AG) because the people there are extremely resistant to progress.

I don’t like the word “cheap”. Are the more expensive solar products from EU better or actually worse? As a consumer, who doesn’t want to buy better products with lower prices???

It is not subsidies but economics of scale. It internal market is huge. Also it has the complete supply chain from raw materials to finish products. These factors cut costs.

So, let me see if I understand your reasoning: Germany is losing a lot of companies (and jobs) because USA is subsidizing with billions of $ the companies that move there to produce solar panels, BUT the problem is the subsidies of the Chinese companies??? Right? Don't meke me laught! Germany is a joke right now...

Messages received. Thank you. China, subsidies, bad! US EU, subsidies, good!

Thank you China for existing.

I think another reason is the competence of Chinese workers. My company subcontracts a part of our work to a China team. Honestly they are very competent and hardworking, I can see that their productivity is much higher than a local worker here at a fraction of the salary. The only problem is their English skills as well as the time difference but we can manage with that.

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

2:52 "China's political system ... allows for long term thinking" . That's too bad😂😂😂

China leads the world in 37 out of 44 critical technologies and America only leads in 7, according to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI).

Westerners have a simple and consistant explanation for all fields that China surpassed them: China firms were heavily subsidised by gov.

"If your government is in favor of international trade, and most European governments are in favor of international trade in principle, then you can't really complain when companies in another country start producing something that you want and they're producing it really cheaply and exporting it to you. That's just part of life." Based.

defeating Americans and Europeans at their own game!

China is DEMOCRATIZING green energy in the world.

My mental status has been tortured by ‘China being unbeatable’ and ‘ China being collapsing’. Could anyone give me some help, please.

The irony that solar manufacturers cant afford to produce because of... energy prices.

One of the unstated reason is US has largely funded for years creating a chocking point for Chinese energy supplies through Malacca strait. China is trying to be self sufficient on energy through renewables.

China work hart for poor people, god bless china !

China simply scaled up. Europe never produced that many panels, so their scale factor was low, resulting in high per-unit cost from upfront capital expenses being spread across a small number of units. China moved solar to hyper-efficient mass production, driving the per-unit cost down to pure production, as capital costs were spread across truly massive amounts of volume. At this point, China no longer needs to subsidize the industry because the volume is so high. Also, it's not like the US and Europe hadn't been subsidizing solar for years, decades. It's just that the fundamental scale never got high enough to drive cost down like in China.

Local solar manufacturing in the EU will always be expensive and have a small amount of jobs. The consumers need cheaper solar panels so let them import from China for the lowest price.

So why is cheaper solar a bad thing. Are we or are we jot trying to save the planet ? Cheaper is more affordable, which means more solar energy ...

😂The same excuse also use on Germany car... After German automaker Volkswagen was accused on February 14 of using Chinese-made parts that may violate labor laws, Volkswagen said later on the same day that several of its car models had been refused entry into the United States. Porsche, Bentley and Audi models are all affected.

Long live China🇨🇳✅

China produced cheaper and better solar products because of technological innovation , not government subsidy. Isn't it good for the world now that solar energy is more accessible to more countries. If someone still argue that China solar panels are cheaper because of government subsidy , then we all have to thank China for subsidizing the world to achieve a sustainable earth environment.

Thanks to china we can have electricity all day without the hight cost of grid elecrricity and loadsheding in pakistan.

hey DW, i thought about the topics for u for the next 5-10 years already. Why china becomes unbeatable in EV? Why china becomes unbeatable in Semiconductor? Why China becomes unbeatable in commercial aircraft?

Now all global citizens can benefit by installing these solar PV systems locally. Everyone needs cheap and fast electricity. I will install solar PV vertically along my fence to heat my highly insulated basement floor silently emitting gentle heat into our home.

How do Germans view the $200 billion Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline being artificially blown up?

Brazil's moves aren't against China per see; Brazil is really protectionist - for example, cars have a 35% import tax here - and always tries to force companies to relocate manufacturing into the country. It's doing that to solar panels now because Brazil consumes so many solar panels, it believes locally manufacturing the solar panels it uses would be feasible.

Well, they really tried to compete then do bully when realized it didn’t work.

Could you stop flashing the screen? IT hurt my eyes！

They made this things called factories.

European countries subsidized more. Remember, it's the German who gave a lot of rebates to install solar panels a decade ago. They started the subsidy game. Tarriff on imports is a form of subsidy to domestic firms too.

This is a victory for free trade against protectionism🥳

According to the IEA (Int. Energy Agency), an incredible 217 GW of PV capacity was installed in China in 2023. *This means that China installed 6.5 more than the USA (33 GW)!* China installed 148% more than in the previous year! And China exported 200 GW. 55% of global green electricity capacity (= wind, solar, hydropower, etc.) in 2023 was installed in China alone.

If you think China production is cheaper because of cheap labour, why don't you invest in your allies that have cheap labor, like east europe for production? China labour price is now only cheaper than developed countries, which in total has less population than China. If you think it's government subsidy, which every country does anyway, the more you buy, the more China loses.

So by restricting the import of Chinese solar panels which are said to be cheaper and better, you want EU consumers to buy German Solar panels which are expensive also inferior to the Chinese panels just to keep the job??

📝 Summary of Key Points: 📌 China has become a global leader in solar power, outpacing other countries in solar energy production. 🧐 European manufacturers are facing challenges due to competition from cheaper and more efficient Chinese solar modules, leading to bankruptcies and job losses. 🚀 China's dominance in the solar market is attributed to government policies, state funding, and a strong manufacturing capacity that has driven down prices and spurred innovation. 💡 Additional Insights and Observations: 💬 "China controls 80 to 95 percent of the global solar production supply chain, driving down prices and spurring innovation." 📊 European solar panel makers struggled to compete with China's heavily subsidized solar modules, leading to job losses and market challenges. 📣 Concluding Remarks: China's rapid growth in solar energy production has reshaped the global market, impacting manufacturers worldwide. While China's dominance has driven down prices and increased solar energy adoption, it has also posed challenges for other countries' domestic industries. The competition and innovation spurred by China's leadership in solar power highlight the complexities of the global renewable energy landscape. Generated using TalkBud

Competition and innovation won the day. Innovation needs assistance or subsidy, no matter which way you look at it.

Why is DW so obsessed with China and Russia? Can anyone please explain this obsession to me?

China was doing this for energy security. And their people enjoy cheap energy and food. The West is simply not reliable partner for anything. This is the same thing as MRI, Airplanes, etc. The west always charge a ridiculous high prices to buy these stuffs and then weaponize them threatening sanctions and bans. The excuse about China subsidizing is simply an overused excuse. It is not like US and Europe don't subsidizing their industries especially like Boeing and Air Bus. The world need to de-risk from US and Europe since the west don't listen to the rest of the world. Most of the western politicians really don't care about improving people's life. They just want to make sure they can sell their ideology. The west want everyone to open the market when they were selling their stuffs to them. Now they need to buy from other countries. They all want protectionism. In contrary, China is blocking anyone from making solar panel. If the role was reverse, I am sure US would be going around the world asking everyone to block China.

Remember the 90s and 2000s solar boom? Germany didn’t raise the import tax for the subsidized Chinese panels that had been produced with cheap labor. Yeah.

Other than China, it's ok to have some dependencies on any other countries. That's the whole idea and I get it.

It's a simple principle really. It's like a chief and his young assistant. The chief while getting older and very much experienced put his price tag to a higher level. A young assistant learned from his boss's mistakes and made it better and cost effective.

instead of developing solar panel technology, Germany should send their money to Ukraine for freedom. because freedom over everything

"knock!knock!"~~~''open ur door!it's free trade!!!"

Tomorrow, is it possible that the US and Europe may try to subsidize their local companies to produce shoes, socks, garments and toys in their own countries, after they find out they are depending too much on China, Southeast Asia and Mexico for these necessities?

I have Made in China affordable Rooftop Solar for 12 Years Now. Production 6000 kWh every Year. Thank You China ❤️.

Just like what is happening now on EV. They says the only reason Chinese evs are competitive is the government's subsidies. So how can u explain that the same Volkswagen id.3 is third times expensiver in Germany than it in China? Volkswagen is also a Chinese brand?😢

It's a rather short sighted policy. The number of solar manufacturing jobs are limited and tend to be low paying. Whereas the number of solar system installation jobs are much higher paid and there are far more of them. This is magnified with the massive decrease in panel costs, where many people who would not otherwise be willing to buy a system are suddenly presented with far cheaper options. The overall reduction in C02 and increase in jobs is a good thing to my mind.

This is the kind of competition betweet west and China that we wanted. Competition of having a clean energy source, not having the most advance missile or nurclear bomb..

This is not surprising. US is not keen on green energy because it is rich in fossil fuel resources. While Europe likes to do most is to use love to generate electricity or freedom and democracy to generate electricity. The best way for Europe to block external competition is that sweeping robots can be named also as tools of war or security.😂

China has the cost-volume advantage and the Chinese workers are smart and hardworking especially for the Motherland

Just concentrate on doing what is right for your people your country, never mind what others are doing, because other people are doing what is best for them and their country!

You would think a solar manufacturer would use some of its products to supplement their power requirements

it's not just the solar industry, but also all other electricity-related industries, ev cars, batteries, etc.

China stole advanced solar technology from the West.

true fact: the customers and clean energy advocates are the winners. Additionally, it is also a huge step for the world to better reach their net carbon neutral goal that we have always struggled to reach. China driving down the cost would mean more availability for millions around the globe.

DW lets the cat out of the bag: China's grip on the supply chain leads to lower prices and spurs innovation! 3:27

Most things made from western market are too expensive but China has made it cheap for both third and first world countries China has the edge

You can make products with higher performance and quality instead of complaining about China taking away your jobs

I wish the US would subsidize the iphone, so I could use a cheaper phone. As a consumer, I only care about price and quality.

When this guy said china perfect country to think long term, is he implying democracy think in short term?

a Chinese company bought Solyndra, a soon to go belly up US solar panel maker and never look back. CATL bought a Japanese battery company because Japanese automakers decided hydrogen will be the future. when you buy a soon to go belly up company, you're buying their patents, and then you go from there.

China is no USSR. You can't stop her from blooming. Why is it so hard for the US and EU to understand?

Cannot compete then blame somebody. So sad.

Put your head down, work harder and thinker harder! That's how thenChinese do things!

The US should nationalize the solar industry and stay competitive. Corporate greed will not allow that, will it?

I love that conclusion

All in all it is the one party system that has made the national strategy and goals possible, like it or not!

For people in poor countries, freedom should give way to food and clothing. Western countries are always eager to promote freedom to poor countries, disregarding hungry people. The West does not equal the world. Developing countries should recognize this and make their own people happy rather than capitalists happy. This is the ideal that poor country politicians should have.China go！

After all, we all live on the same planet. Every innovation is welcome.

Insane to me the planet is dying and of course “profits” and “markets” matter more…humanity man

What are the labor costs per hour in Colorado Springs in comparison to India, China, Mexico? Are the new subsidies the only argument for producing in the USA?

China also produces gigantic quantities of PV modules. Around 2/3 of these were installed in China itself. *Last year it was 217 GW, around FOUR TIMES that of the EU (56 GW).*

-what solar panels were wrong? -it's made by china. -hey!! -oops they give subsidies for Solar Panel Produce -Indeed

The Chinese government could see the promise of investing in solar panel , battery and Electric vehicle production and fostered their manufacturers of these products. Western nations and their corporations outsourced their manufacturing to China for short term financial greed. Chinese manufactirers now lead the way in these products. Short sighted Western nations could have but decided not to do the same as the Chinese.

Great analysis and presentation. 👍👍👍

China got competive on solar as they really working on it!

good for the atmosphere we live in / go green movement but not for others economic prowess hence the dilemma

Made in germany?That's too expensive

That solar facility should probably move to Hungary to take advantage of lower cost labor much the same way BYD opened up there rather than in Germany... Ditto for BYD's car division... Mexico rather than the USA even though it has existing bus/battery operations in Lancanster, CA north of Los Angeles...

In India the cost of the solar installation is already under 400 dollars per kw even for small residential 5kw installation. Costs are much lower on a larger scale. If you add govt subsidy on top of that it is much more cheaper

If the population of young Chinese people is in 60 years one quarter of what it is now due to demographic collapse then where will all the products currently being produced in China be produced in 60 years? Can China use robots to maintain production levels? One recent article said that in just the three years from 2019 to 2022 the Chinese working age population of China decreased by over 40 million people. Even for a country as big as China that's a very fast rate of loss of workers to deal with. That's like losing the entire British workforce in just three years.

China is doing things unbelievable fast and scale .

In short!! We are experiencing the end of Western and USA power and era 😊

Germany is dying, why do they need jobs? Seniors are not going to work in factories.

This is something called “ Deutschland koennen, China aber nicht”

China people are diligent and hard-working, while China focuses on economic development rather than waging war abroad.

Cooperate when necessary, blockade when competing, Western democracy