Chinese companies are accelerating overseas investment in clean technology manufacturing as domestic overcapacity, weak demand and rising trade barriers push them to seek new markets. A global manufacturing investment database shows that Chinese firms account for roughly half of overseas clean-tech manufacturing investment, with projects spanning solar, wind, batteries and electric vehicles.

Governments are increasingly demanding local production rather than imports, creating opportunities for industrialization but forcing countries to balance manufacturing ambitions against the urgent need for affordable electricity. In Africa, Morocco and Egypt have emerged as major investment destinations, while tariffs and localization policies risk making clean technologies more expensive and slowing the green transition.

Tim Sahay, co-director of the Net Zero Industrial Policy Lab at Johns Hopkins University, and Mathias Larsen, senior policy fellow at LSE's Grantham Research Institute, join Eric to examine China's overseas clean-tech investment, the drivers of manufacturing relocation, and how Global South governments can secure technology transfer, jobs and industrial development.

Show Notes:

• Net Zero Policy Lab: The Global Race for Clean Energy

📌 Topics covered in this episode:

• How Trade Barriers Are Reshaping China's Clean Tech Expansion
• Why Chinese Green Manufacturers Are Investing Overseas
• China's Clean Tech Overcapacity and the Search for Markets
• Africa's Balancing Act Between Cheap Energy and Industrialization
• Morocco and Egypt's Growing Role in Chinese Green Investment
• How Global South Countries Can Secure Technology Transfer

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X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander I @stadenesque I

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China's AI competition with the United States is increasingly about more than building the most powerful models. For countries across the Global South, affordability, practical performance, customization, and control over data are often more important than achieving artificial general intelligence. Chinese open-weight models offer flexibility, while US companies are competing more aggressively on cost.

The battle also extends beyond AI models to servers, cloud infrastructure, technical support, and the ability to build domestic AI capabilities. As Washington and Beijing develop competing technology coalitions, countries face growing pressure to choose sides while seeking to protect their digital sovereignty. Yet neither complete technological independence nor an enforceable divide between US and Chinese AI ecosystems appears straightforward.

Kyle Chan, a fellow at the Brookings Institution's China Center and author of the High Capacity Newsletter, joins Eric to discuss China-US AI competition, the Global South's pursuit of sovereign AI, and the geopolitical stakes of competing AI alliances and governance models.

Show Notes:

• Brookings Institute: Read Articles and Watch Events Featuring Kyle Chan
• Substack: High Capacity Substack by Kyle Chan
• YouTube - High Capacity Podcast

📌 Topics Covered in This Episode

• Why AI Affordability Matters More Than Frontier Model Performance
• How China Is Building Global South AI Infrastructure
• Sovereign AI and the Limits of Digital Independence
• US-China Rivalry and the Battle for Global AI Governance

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X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander I @kyleichan

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China's new joint air training facility in Laos highlights Beijing's incremental expansion of its military access across Southeast Asia. The 2,000-meter runway could extend the operational reach of Chinese aircraft, although its current capabilities remain limited and its long-term purpose is uncertain. Unlike a conventional overseas base, the facility reflects a gradual approach to expanding China's regional security footprint.

The bigger story may be Beijing's deepening political and economic influence in Laos, where Chinese investment, debt exposure, and growing party-to-party ties strengthen bilateral relations. As Japan expands security cooperation across Southeast Asia and the United States maintains its regional military presence, China's evolving access arrangements could gradually reshape the regional balance of power.

Hunter Marston, director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Lowy Institute and project lead for the Asia Power Index, joins Eric to talk about China's military ambitions in Laos, the strategic implications of its growing regional access, and the roles of economic leverage and Japan's expanding security partnerships.

Show Notes:

• Lowy Institute: What to make of China's new air facility in Laos by Hunter Marston

📌 Topics Covered in This Episode

• China's New Air Training Facility in Laos
• Beijing's Growing Political and Economic Influence in Laos
• China's Military Access and Southeast Asian Security
• Japan's Expanding Security Role in the Indo-Pacific

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X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander I @LowyInstitute

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