On December 18, 2025, the DSET Energy Security and Climate Resilience Program held an online briefing to mark the release of its latest report, Unveiling the Hidden Agenda behind China’s Green Ambitions. The webinar attracted approximately 44 participants from Taiwan and overseas.
The briefing was moderated by Tsaiying Lu, Director of the Energy Security and Climate Resilience Program, who opened the event by outlining the structure of both the report and the webinar. She explained that the report examines two major approaches through which China seeks to establish a leading role in the global green transition: discursive construction through state media and official narratives, and strategic investment in critical minerals.
The first session began with a presentation by Elena Yi-Ching Ho, Non-Resident Research Fellow of the program, who analyzed China’s communication and narrative-building efforts aimed at reinforcing its image as a green leader while continuing to benefit from its status as a developing country to avoid stronger climate commitments. Drawing on the report’s analysis of dozens of press releases, she noted clear differences in messaging across audiences. Mandarin-language communications tended to adopt a more defensive tone embedded with nationalistic views, while external communications emphasized diplomatic influence and leadership. Despite these differences, both sets of narratives portrayed China as an indispensable global climate leader.
Elizabeth Frost, Policy Analyst at the program, then expanded the discussion by examining people-to-people exchanges as a key component of China’s influence campaign. Her presentation focused on organized trips targeting American students, as well as think tank researchers, influencers, and engineers from Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries, often framed as cultural or educational exchanges. She outlined the organizational structures behind these programs and the involvement of CCP-aligned or -backed organizations operating at national, local, and international NGO levels, reflecting a whole-of-society approach to influence and propaganda. Frost also highlighted the effectiveness of these exchanges among younger audiences, noting that interviewed participants often returned with positive impressions of China and its climate and energy policies. She concluded by calling for more evidence-based research on China’s climate-related propaganda and urging universities to reassess their engagement with propaganda-oriented exchange programs.
The first session was followed by comments from invited discussants with expertise in China’s propaganda strategies and climate-related exchanges. Cheryl Yu, Fellow in China Studies at The Jamestown Foundation, and Nithin Coca, a freelance journalist, both acknowledged the importance and contribution of the report’s findings. They further explained the logic underpinning China’s propaganda policies and how these efforts align with Beijing’s broader ambition to position itself as a global leader. They noted that a coordinated approach involving government agencies at multiple levels, alongside private enterprises, creates an appearance of climate coordination while simultaneously expanding political influence. The ultimate outcome, they observed, is a situation in which China benefits from a positive international image despite lagging environmental scrutiny, limited technology sharing, and vague disclosures regarding mining projects and their environmental and social externalities.
The second session opened with a presentation by I-Ting Juan, Policy Analyst at the program, who addressed another key dimension of China’s green ambitions: dominance in critical minerals. She explained that China’s current position is the result of long-term efforts, particularly through foreign direct investment, to secure access to minerals, such as nickel, that China does not possess domestically. Through these investments, China has cultivated close partnerships with resource-rich countries, including Indonesia. Juan further noted that despite Indonesia’s efforts to introduce mineral policies aimed at maximizing revenue and promoting industrial upgrading, Chinese firms continue to hold majority ownership in the country’s largest mines and refining facilities, including those in the Morowali Industrial Park. As a result, China has deepened its control over critical mineral supply chains while creating economic dependencies in host countries. The report characterizes this dynamic as “asymmetric dependency.”
Discussants for the second session included Dr. Alvin Camba, Lead Scientist and Director at Lyvi AI; Dr. Angela Tritto, Honorary Fellow at University College London’s European International Social and Political Studies Centre; and Prof. Ian Satchwell, Senior Advisor for Minerals at the ASEAN–U.S. Partnership Program. The panel shared concerns regarding reliance on a single dominant investor and the associated hidden costs, a phenomenon Dr. Camba referred to as the “Jakarta Model.” Dr. Tritto elaborated on these costs by citing conditions in the Morowali Industrial Park, including harsh working environments, labor issues, deforestation, and soil and water contamination. Prof. Satchwell discussed the difficulties ASEAN countries face in diluting Chinese investment in their critical minerals sectors, noting that China’s early-mover advantages, integrated financing and processing capabilities, and willingness to absorb higher risks are often unmatched by alternative investors. He also highlighted the ASEAN Minerals Development Vision 2045 and the Fourth ASEAN Minerals Cooperation Action Plan (2026–2030) as important signals of potential future efforts to build a more sustainable regional minerals value chain.
The online briefing was recorded and will be uploaded to the DSET YouTube channel.
Report link: https://dset.tw/en/research/unveiling-the-hidden-agenda-behind-chinas-green-ambitions/
