Mead argues China's green energy strategy aims for military autarky
Walter Russell Mead · Why the World Order Is Collapsing and American Power Is Rising · Sep 8, 2026 · at 21:58
Foreign policy scholar Walter Russell Mead reframes China's simultaneous push into renewable energy and coal mining as a national security hedge rather than an environmental initiative.
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“A lot of Chinese energy policy can be understood as trying to avoid the trap of dependence on the global economy. So, you know, they've, they're doing the solar, they're doing as much hydro as they can, and some of our friends in the environmental movement are saying, oh, it's so wonderful. They're so green. Let's cooperate with China to build a new world. They're also digging as much coal as they possibly can, right? Because what they're trying to do is make themselves less dependent on the outside world so that in a worst case scenario with the U.S., they can actually fight for the long term.”
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