A group of eight Western venture capitalists recently toured China's clean energy sector, and it's safe to say the trip was a reality check. After seeing the factories and talking with entrepreneurs, any lingering doubts they had about China's commanding lead simply evaporated.
From Skepticism to Shock
As reported by Bloomberg and cited in the Global Times, the VCs weren't completely in the dark; they knew the statistics. They'd heard that China supplies a staggering 80% of the world's solar panels, 60% of its wind turbines, 70% of its EVs, and 75% of its batteries—all while beating the West on price. But seeing that gap up close was something else entirely, forcing them to question whether European and American companies could even compete anymore.
American VC Ashwin Shashindranath put it bluntly, saying the trip revealed that many of his Western peers are trapped in an "information cocoon" about China. German VC Nick de la Forge was even more direct, admitting his perspective did a complete 180. Before the visit, he was skeptical that China could really be light-years ahead, but after seeing it for himself, he confessed that Western startups aiming to break into the battery or solar sectors are now off his investment list.
Screenshot of Bloomberg report.
The Secret to China's Success
So, what's the secret sauce behind China's dominance? The report points to a few key factors. One Shanghai-based clean energy executive explained to the investors that he can source every single component for his products locally, and these suppliers are incredibly flexible, willing to adjust their processes to meet his specific manufacturing demands.
The visit to CATL, a global behemoth in power battery manufacturing, left them grasping for words. The VCs could only describe what they saw with two superlatives: it was simply "the most automated, most advanced production lines" they had ever witnessed.
Bloomberg concluded that China's undeniable edge in the green energy transition is pushing many countries to seek closer ties. In short, China has become the world's most powerful engine driving the global shift to a low-carbon future.
A Different Strategic Mindset
The story didn't end with the Bloomberg piece. Several of the investors took to social media to share their personal takeaways from the trip, and their insights were just as revealing.
German investor Sebastian Heitmann reflected that the trip taught him a crucial lesson: clean energy isn't just about environmentalism. It’s about national resilience, security, and a long-term strategic upper hand. He noted that China is pursuing green energy with such incredible speed and scale because its leaders fundamentally grasp this strategic reality.
Fellow German investor Yair Reem was also struck by the sheer scale and efficiency, but he pointed out something else that left a deep impression. He observed a fundamental difference in startup philosophy: while Western startups often chase radical, game-changing innovation from day one, Chinese entrepreneurs prefer a more pragmatic path. They focus on steady, incremental improvements, commercialize quickly to win market share, and then drive the major innovative leaps.
This led him to an inevitable conclusion. Instead of pouring resources into a futile attempt to "replicate" China's battery and solar panel industries at home, he argued, Europe and the US need a complete change of mindset: it's time to cooperate.
Mao Paishou
** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **
The New Year barely begins, and Washington drops a flashbang on global diplomacy. A sitting president is forcibly detained and taken out of his own country — a move that blows past diplomatic convention and rams straight into international law’s red lines. On Taiwan, the chatter instantly turns into self-projection, as some people try to shoehorn a faraway conflict into the island’s own storyline. Anxiety spreads fast.
Maduro in cuffs, in a US federal courtroom — the raid’s image problem. (AP)
The South China Morning Post says the US action against Venezuela ignites a fierce debate on the island. Some commentary links the raid to the PLA’s recent encirclement drills around Taiwan, arguing parts of those exercises look, at least in form, like the US’s so-called “decapitation operations”: essentially a leadership-targeting operation. Some American scholars also warn this kind of play could set a dangerous precedent and invite copycats.
“Justice Mission-2025” rolls on as the Eastern Theater Command drills.
That debate doesn’t stay academic for long. It pumps up the island’s unease, with some people asking whether the same kind of military method could one day be copied and pasted into the Taiwan Strait. Even if it mostly lives in public talk, a high-tension political environment turns speculation into something that feels like risk.
People on the island don’t read the US move the same way. A small minority treats it as a US power flex, packed with intel integration, precision strike, and long-range reach. But the more clear-eyed view is harsher: such action chips away at the basic consensus of international order — because if major powers can raid at will and topple other countries’ leaders for their own aims, “rules” stop acting like rules.
Anxiety turns into politics
That worry quickly lands in Taiwan’s political arena. On Jan 5, multiple Taiwan legislators pressed Deputy Defense Minister Hsu Szu-chien at the legislature, asking how he views the US action against Venezuela and whether the PLA might replicate a similar model in the Taiwan Strait. Hsu doesn’t answer head-on. Rather, he merely mentioned preparing and drilling for all kinds of sudden contingencies.
Then he pivots to money. He urges the legislature to pass military budget appropriations quickly and plays up the urgency of delays eating into “preparation time.”
That kind of sidestep, unsurprisingly, only deepened public unease.
SCMP, citing multiple security experts, says the DPP authorities try to play down the association — but outsiders don’t fully rule it out. The reason, those experts argue, is the PLA’s continuing push to improve its ability to shift from exercises to real combat. On the island, that alone works like an anxiety amplifier.
Back in the real world, the PLA Eastern Theater Command has been running “Justice Mission-2025” exercises since Dec 29 last year. Official statements spell out the purpose: a stern warning to “Taiwan independence” separatist forces and external interference, and a move aimed at safeguarding national sovereignty and unification. The message is public and clear, there’s no gray area.
Some US think-tank voices pull a more confrontational takeaway from the US action. American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Hal Brands warns the US raid on Venezuela could create a “demonstration effect,” and he speculates China would watch those tactics closely. Some military commentators on the island seized the moment to hype fears, claiming the mainland might act during a “window” when US power is stretched thin.
That line of talk sounds like analysis, but it functions like a panic pump. US scholar Lev Nachman even says bluntly on social media that if a sudden military action hits the Taiwan Strait, the island could suffer “instant collapse” — not just militarily, but as a psychological shock to society.
KMT Chairperson Cheng Li-wun, in an interview, points to Donald Trump repeatedly stressing a shift of strategic focus toward affairs in the Americas. She says the Venezuela incident should be examined through the framework of international law, and she calls for disputes in any region to be resolved by peaceful means rather than force.
Cheng also reiterates the KMT position: uphold the “1992 Consensus,” oppose “Taiwan independence,” and urge Lai Ching-te to clearly oppose “Taiwan independence,” not touch legal red lines, and avoid continuously raising cross-strait conflict risks.
Rules talk meets reality
International reaction also turns critical of Washington’s approach. Multiple governments and regional organizations speak up quickly, condemning the action as a violation of the UN Charter, which explicitly prohibits using force to threaten or violate another nation’s territorial integrity and political independence. The telling part is the silence: the Western countries that often talk about “international rules” either zipped their mouths, or danced around the question this time.
Reuters says that even though China, Russia, and others clearly condemn the US behavior, the Trump administration is unlikely to face strong pressure from allies as a result. That selective muteness, by itself, drains the credibility of the international order.
On Jan. 5, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian commented again, saying the US actions clearly violate international law and the basic norms of international relations, and violate the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. China calls on the US to ensure the personal safety of President Maduro and his wife, immediately release them, stop subverting the Venezuelan government, and resolve issues through dialogue and negotiation.
