An employee works on a photovoltaic production line at a tech company in Huzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo/China Daily]

The United States and other Western countries have been obsessed with fabricating various versions of "China threat theories" all these years. Their latest narrative is accusing China of overcapacity in new energy industries including electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries and photovoltaic products. They even stress that the entire international community is concerned about it as if they were the "global spokesperson".

But can the United States represent the Global South? Of course not. We in the Global South believe the so-called overcapacity in China is a pseudo proposition. In fact, we welcome China's high-quality production capacity and are more than willing to pursue open cooperation with China in this regard.

China's high-quality production capacity creates better lives for the Global South

Products made in China have always been credited for being cost effective. With high quality and affordability, China's new energy products have offered global consumers with more quality choices. From the electric cars purchased by Rwandans to the solar panels thriving in both production and sales in Uzbekistan, countries in the world, especially in the Global South, can enjoy China's high-quality yet low-cost green products and realize the dream of pursuing better lives. In the past, when only a handful of developed countries controlled supply, global consumers either had to bear the high price or had nothing to buy. It has now become a thing of the past.

The Global South welcomes more countries, be it China, the United States or others, to offer such high-quality yet low-cost production capacity that can help us live better lives.

China's advanced production capacity gives the Global South equal access to technology

In the information era, inequality in access to information becomes a new form of unfairness. The smartphone market used to be dominated by Apple and other Western products, widening the information divide between developed and developing countries. It is the rise of brands like Xiaomi and Transsion that has helped people, even those living in the remote African tribes, embrace the smart era.

Entering the low-carbon era, inequality in access to green energy is becoming another form of unfairness. With China's advanced new energy products, ordinary people in Africa can experience the convenience of smart driving as British bankers do, and fishermen in Pacific islands can generate power using cheap and clean solar energy as Australian ranchers do. This is a shining example of fairness and equality in the era we live in.

The ultimate goal of technology is to promote people's all-round development. Technological advancement is never meant to bring new inequalities. Instead, it's about delivering benefits to all peoples in all countries. If we continue to allow a small number of Western countries to reap tremendous profits by controlling the supply of production capacity and monopolizing core technologies, then the Global South will forever be shut out of technological advancement and never enjoy equal access to modern technological achievements.

The Global South embraces and appreciates the innovation-powered production capacity offered by China, as it helps achieve equal rights to technology that benefits all.

China's open attitude towards cooperation in industrial capacity offers the Global South development opportunities

China has achieved its growth through actively engaging in international cooperation in industrial capacity. It is the most encouraging story about latecomers catching up with developed countries. It also presents a historic opportunity for countries in the Global South to climb up the global industrial and value chains. In the past, these countries either traded their resources for finished products, or grew their economy through labor-intensive industries. Except for a small number of countries with rich resources, most of them remained at the lower end of the industrial and value chains. A root cause is that they can't change the situation of Western countries having plundered their natural and labor resources to manufacture finished industrial products for fat profits. This is the greatest paradox of development economics.

China, on the other hand, has provided ready-made solutions including solar power generation and affordable electric commuter cars, and has engaged in international cooperation in industrial capacity with an open and inclusive attitude. More and more Chinese electric vehicle companies have established localized industrial and supply chains in regions like ASEAN and Latin America, which cover the mining and processing of raw material, manufacturing of parts and assembling of vehicles. This has not only provided a huge number of high-end job opportunities, but also facilitated the all-round improvement of local production, technology and management.

The Global South supports China in continuing its open cooperation in industrial capacity to assist other countries in achieving technological progress and high-quality development.

China's green production capacity helps the Global South reduce its deficit in development

Despite the urgent need for global green transition, there is still a huge gap in what should be done for countries in the world, especially for those in the Global South. According to the estimate of the International Energy Agency, in 2030, the global demand for new energy vehicles will surpass 45 million, and that for newly installed photovoltaic capacity will reach 820 GW. Western countries, however, are ignoring the growing demand. They have not only backpedaled in their own green policies, but also delayed delivering on their climate financing commitment to developing countries.

Vulnerable to climate change, the Global South needs clean energy the most. At this crucial stage, China's new energy capacity will help countries in the Global South significantly reduce the deficit in green development and better protect our planet Earth and safeguard the interests of humanity as a whole.

The Global South looks forward to the continued development of China's new energy industries and its willingness to share, which will surely bring greater confidence and hope to countries in the Global South.

The "overcapacity theory": Who is behind it?

The "overcapacity theory" is trumped up by a handful of Western media and politicians. They cannot represent the Global South, nor any government that cares about its people. They cannot even speak for the ordinary people of the West who wish to enjoy quality and inexpensive products. Behind it are those profiteering monopoly groups who only pursue eternal hegemony and privilege. They stand in the opposition of the majority who yearn for their normal rights to development and better lives. The theory has already become a stumbling stone that blocks world prosperity and human progress and will only end up being washed away by the rising tides of international fairness and justice, and free market principles.

Countries in the Global South will stand by those who are genuinely devoted to promoting the wellbeing of the entire humanity. Together we can share opportunities to pursue joint development.

The author is a Beijing-based international affairs commentator.

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)