China intensifies climate push with stricter fossil fuel controls and boosted clean-tech exports

China has stepped up the pressure on fossil fuels with a new policy package that puts energy conservation, carbon reduction and industrial upgrading at the centre of its next phase of transition.

On 22 April, the Communist party’s Central Committee and the State Council jointly issued guiding opinions that call for tighter control of fossil-fuel consumption, according to state news agency Xinhua. The document says local authorities should coordinate energy savings with carbon-cutting efforts, accelerate the shift to cleaner production methods and support the deployment of digital, smart and green technologies across industry. It also points to stricter oversight in sectors ranging from manufacturing and construction to transport, data infrastructure and public institutions.

A separate guideline released the same day by the State Council adds more detail on implementation. It seeks to peak coal and oil consumption, expand non-fossil energy, develop new forms of energy storage and speed up construction of a new power system. Chinese state media described the policy as part of a broader push to modernise traditional industries while strengthening controls on emissions and energy use.

The political signalling is notable. Hu Min, co-founder of the Beijing-based Institute for Global Decarbonization Progress, told Carbon Brief that the wording was a clear indication that senior leaders want to bring down coal use and use the document as a bridge until more specific measures are published. Other commentators in China said the fact that both documents came from the highest levels of the political system was unusual and underlined the strategic importance of climate and energy policy.

The timing matters as much as the wording. The new directives arrived alongside another round of policy signals, including tougher evaluation criteria for provincial governments on climate performance and clean-energy consumption, as Beijing attempts to align local incentives with national decarbonisation goals. For heavy industry, power producers and grid operators, that implies greater scrutiny not only of emissions totals but also of how quickly they replace coal and oil with cleaner energy sources.

At the same time, China’s clean-energy machine is still expanding rapidly, even if some segments are beginning to show signs of moderation. Officials said China’s clean-energy grid capacity had passed 2,400GW by March 2026, equal to about 60% of the power mix, while wind and solar together reached 1,900GW. But new solar additions in the first quarter slowed to 41GW, down from 60GW a year earlier, suggesting that growth remains strong but less explosive than in previous periods.

That domestic tightening comes as China’s clean-tech exports continue to surge. Carbon Brief’s analysis of customs data found that exports of the “new three” technologies, solar products, electric vehicles and lithium-ion batteries, rose 70% year on year in March to $21.6bn. Solar alone nearly doubled from February, while EV and battery exports rose far more modestly, pointing to a more specific mix of trade, policy and market forces behind the jump.

Part of the answer lies outside China. Analysts say the war in the Middle East has reinforced energy security concerns and boosted demand for non-fossil alternatives in several markets. But the strongest near-term driver appears to have been domestic policy. Beijing removed export tax rebates for solar products on 1 April, prompting manufacturers to rush shipments before the deadline. Falling silver prices also helped improve margins for panel makers at a sensitive moment in the supply chain.

The result was a brief but dramatic spike. According to Ember, March exports of Chinese solar modules alone could generate 68GW of power, equivalent to Spain’s entire installed solar capacity. Imports of Chinese solar products hit record levels in dozens of countries, with Asia and Africa taking a large share of the increase. Analysts expect April to look weaker by comparison, but many believe the underlying demand for Chinese cleantech remains solid.

For industrial decarbonisation professionals, the significance is twofold. First, Beijing is tightening the domestic policy architecture around energy use, giving local governments less room to tolerate coal dependence. Second, Chinese manufacturers are being pushed by both policy and market forces to accelerate the global diffusion of low-carbon equipment, from solar modules and batteries to EVs and hydrogen-related technologies.

The broader message is that China is not simply adding more clean capacity; it is trying to harden the entire system around decarbonisation. That includes supply chains, provincial accountability, export incentives and the industrial base itself. For the rest of the world, particularly sectors trying to lower costs and secure equipment at scale, the implications will continue to be felt well beyond China’s borders.