China blows off EU turbine probe as an ill wind

For having launched an anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese wind turbo operations in five member countries, the European Union is accused by Beijing of protectionism.

The EU announced on Tuesday that it will look into whether China’s wind turbine firms were given unfair subsidies or other forms of support from the Chinese government to gain advantage in the competition for projects in Spain, Greece, France, Romania and Bulgaria.

It is the EU’s fourth investigation in two months against Chinese new energy equipment suppliers. Previous probes related to Chinese state-owned firm’s bidding on a solar energy project in Romania and procurement of electric trains in Bulgaria.

Also, prior to those, the EU launched an anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicles last October.

“The EU’s approach obviously violated the free trade principle and seriously interfered with the normal cooperation between Chinese and European industries,” He Yadong, a spokesperson of China’s Ministry of Commerce, said Thursday. “It is a typical form of protectionism.”

China’s market share

China contributed more than half of the global renewable energy installed capacity of 510 million kilowatts in 2023, making it a major contributor to the growth of global renewable energy power generation, according to a report published by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

The report says that, over the past decade, the production costs of wind and solar power have fallen by 60% and 80%, respectively, thanks to China’s innovation, manufacturing and engineering projects.

Pan Huimin, an official at China’s National Energy Administration (NEA), said in a media briefing on January 25 that China’s wind and photovoltaic power products have