Shaping the Energy Transition: Gulf-China Collaboration [Video]

The growing influence of Chinese energy firms in the Persian Gulf is part of a deepening trade and geopolitical relationship as China takes a leading role in the energy transitions underway in the Gulf states and the surrounding region. Several joint ventures (JVs) have been formed between Chinese firms and state-linked Gulf entities, mainly in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). These ventures are building huge renewable energy generation facilities and exploring investments across supply chains for energy storage, electric vehicles, carbon capture, and clean hydrogen. While cooperation in the energy transition has raised China’s profile in the Gulf, the clean energy JVs are not perceived by the United States as a political or security threat, even as U.S.-China relations elsewhere have become more adversarial. This issue brief examines the drivers of Gulf-China cooperation — are the motivations commercial, geopolitical, or a mix of both? — and how …