China's Green Leap Outward - with Mathias Larsen

China's Green Leap Outward - with Mathias Larsen

Author: Beijing Energy Network February 17, 2026 Duration: 25:49

Today, we're continuing our series on China's external investments in the energy field, focusing in particular on China's outbound investments in clean energy manufacturing.

Our guest today is Mathias Larsen. Mathias is Senior Policy Fellow at LSE's Grantham Research Institute for Climate Change & the Environment, where he leads the Institute's work on China, and he also studies China's impact on other countries outside the global North, in particular, Vietnam, India, Ethiopia, and Brazil. His work focuses on the role of the state in ensuring financing for a green transition, covering central banking, fiscal policy, development finance, and other tools related to industrial policy.

Mathias has a double PhD in international political economy from Copenhagen Business School and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a double Master's degree in international business and politics from Copenhagen Business School and Rotterdam School of Management, as well as a double Master's degree in international development from Sciences Po Paris and Peking University. He previously worked as a Postdoc at Brown University, at the International Institute of Green Finance, as well as at the UN in New York, Bangkok, and Nairobi.

Topics we cover include:

  • The trend change in China's green outbound investment that started in 2022.
  • Which regions are attracting which kinds of investments.
  • Whether countries are really seeing development opportunities in this stream of investment -- and what they can do to maximize their chances of development.
  • China's central bank policies which include both national development priorities as well as macroeconomic stability, without the strict independence traditionally expected of central banks.
  • Whether such policies could offer a lesson for others.
  • China's outbound green hydrogen investments in the Mideast.
  • Saudi Arabia's strategy on green hydrogen.

For further reading:

https://www.netzeropolicylab.com/china-green-leap

https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessreview/2025/12/10/while-western-central-banks-hesitate-on-climate-chinas-acts/

https://www.carboun.com/china-hydrogen


Produced by the Beijing Energy Network, Environment China is a bilingual podcast that delves into the complex and vital stories shaping China's ecological landscape. Rather than offering broad pronouncements, it focuses on grounded conversations with the people on the front lines: the advocates campaigning for change, the entrepreneurs building sustainable solutions, and the researchers providing crucial data. Each episode explores the intersection of society, culture, and science, revealing how environmental policy and daily life are intertwined. You'll hear specific discussions about conservation efforts, green technology, urban design, and community initiatives, all framed within the unique context of modern China. This podcast provides a necessary platform for these nuanced voices, translating complex issues into accessible dialogue. It’s an essential listen for anyone seeking to move beyond headlines and understand the real-world work being done to address environmental challenges. By listening to Environment China, you gain insight into the multifaceted movement towards sustainability, one conversation at a time.
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Environment China
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