Beijing has stepped up efforts to curb what it calls “disorderly low-price competition” that has eroded profits across a range of industries. A leading Communist Party publication this week urged tougher regulation of practices such as aggressive discounting and government-backed subsidies that distort market pricing, echoing remarks by President Xi Jinping at a recent top-level economic meeting.

Regulators are moving first against the solar sector. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on 4 July summoned executives from 14 photovoltaic companies to discuss quality standards, the elimination of outdated capacity and possible penalties for firms that sell modules below production cost, according to people briefed on the talks and state media reports.

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China’s top leadership has stepped up a campaign against what it calls “disorderly low-price competition,” pledging to build a unified national market and revive sluggish domestic demand. At a high-level economic meeting on 1 July, officials signalled that aggressive price cutting across industries had become a drag on growth and consumer confidence.

The push gathered momentum on 2 July when the Communist Party journal Qiushi ran one of its strongest warnings to date about industrial overcapacity and deflationary pressures. The article urged regulators to crack down on price wars that it said waste resources, erode profits and stifle innovation, singling out the photovoltaic, lithium-battery, electric-vehicle and e-commerce sectors. It also faulted some local governments for creating “policy havens” that fuel excess supply.

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On World Environment Day, China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment released the 2024 China Ecological Environment Status Report, highlighting that 87.2% of days in 339 prefecture-level cities and above had excellent or good air quality in 2024, a 1.7 percentage point increase from the previous year. The average PM2.5 concentration in these cities was 29.3 micrograms per cubic meter, and the proportion of surface water sections with good quality exceeded 90% for the first time.

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China's surplus capacity in solar panels and batteries is being leveraged to support Pakistan's renewable energy expansion. Experts suggest that rather than viewing China's solar overcapacity as a problem, it can be an opportunity to accelerate global renewable energy goals, including tripling renewable generation capacity by 2030. Chinese exports of solar panels to Pakistan have increased significantly, contributing to a solar boom in the country. Falling prices for wind, solar, and battery technologies are encouraging Pakistani companies to invest more confidently in renewable energy, which aligns with energy targets set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The availability of Chinese batteries is also playing a crucial role in powering this growth in Pakistan's renewable sector.

Beijing has stepped up efforts to curb what it calls “disorderly low-price competition” that has eroded profits across a range of industries. A leading Communist Party publication this week urged tougher regulation of practices such as aggressive discounting and government-backed subsidies that distort market pricing, echoing remarks by President Xi Jinping at a recent top-level economic meeting.

Regulators are moving first against the solar sector. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on 4 July summoned executives from 14 photovoltaic companies to discuss quality standards, the elimination of outdated capacity and possible penalties for firms that sell modules below production cost, according to people briefed on the talks and state media reports.

Read more

China’s top leadership has stepped up a campaign against what it calls “disorderly low-price competition,” pledging to build a unified national market and revive sluggish domestic demand. At a high-level economic meeting on 1 July, officials signalled that aggressive price cutting across industries had become a drag on growth and consumer confidence.

The push gathered momentum on 2 July when the Communist Party journal Qiushi ran one of its strongest warnings to date about industrial overcapacity and deflationary pressures. The article urged regulators to crack down on price wars that it said waste resources, erode profits and stifle innovation, singling out the photovoltaic, lithium-battery, electric-vehicle and e-commerce sectors. It also faulted some local governments for creating “policy havens” that fuel excess supply.

Read more

On World Environment Day, China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment released the 2024 China Ecological Environment Status Report, highlighting that 87.2% of days in 339 prefecture-level cities and above had excellent or good air quality in 2024, a 1.7 percentage point increase from the previous year. The average PM2.5 concentration in these cities was 29.3 micrograms per cubic meter, and the proportion of surface water sections with good quality exceeded 90% for the first time.

Read more

China's surplus capacity in solar panels and batteries is being leveraged to support Pakistan's renewable energy expansion. Experts suggest that rather than viewing China's solar overcapacity as a problem, it can be an opportunity to accelerate global renewable energy goals, including tripling renewable generation capacity by 2030. Chinese exports of solar panels to Pakistan have increased significantly, contributing to a solar boom in the country. Falling prices for wind, solar, and battery technologies are encouraging Pakistani companies to invest more confidently in renewable energy, which aligns with energy targets set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The availability of Chinese batteries is also playing a crucial role in powering this growth in Pakistan's renewable sector.