Fighting Yesterday's War? Rethinking the U.S. Response to China's Clean Energy Monopoly
Presentation Type
Poster
Presentation Type
Submission
Department
Political Science
Major
Economics and Political Science
Abstract
When BYD, a Chinese electric vehicle manufacturing company, surpassed Tesla in sales in 2025, it became evident that China’s dominance in green technology is undeniable. China controls the vast majority of critical mineral refining necessary for EV batteries as well as clean-tech manufacturing, while the Western supply chain is filled with vulnerabilities. The United States’ response to the clean energy transition has evolved from an environmental imperative into a fiercely contested arena of economic and national security. This paper asks: how has the US responded to China’s clean-tech manufacturing dominance. And how do political constraints and critical-mineral supply chains shape the future effectiveness of US green industrial policy? Employing a qualitative policy analysis, this research synthesizes international energy data and assesses competing political frameworks ranging from hawkish decoupling to globalist and structuralist critiques. Findings indicate that the US response has been severely undermined by "political whiplash" and extreme ideological polarization. Furthermore, scholars warn that the US’ sweeping protectionist tariffs risk fracturing global supply chains and inflating decarbonization costs. Ultimately, this paper concludes that the US cannot simply tariff its way to clean-tech supremacy. Instead, policymakers must adopt a nuanced, risk-based trade approach, implement circular economy standards, and aggressively redirect resources to "leapfrog" China by investing in next-generation innovations like solid-state batteries.
Faculty Mentor
Felicity Vabulas
Location
Waves Cafeteria
Start Date
10-4-2026 1:00 PM
End Date
10-4-2026 2:00 PM
Fighting Yesterday's War? Rethinking the U.S. Response to China's Clean Energy Monopoly
Waves Cafeteria
When BYD, a Chinese electric vehicle manufacturing company, surpassed Tesla in sales in 2025, it became evident that China’s dominance in green technology is undeniable. China controls the vast majority of critical mineral refining necessary for EV batteries as well as clean-tech manufacturing, while the Western supply chain is filled with vulnerabilities. The United States’ response to the clean energy transition has evolved from an environmental imperative into a fiercely contested arena of economic and national security. This paper asks: how has the US responded to China’s clean-tech manufacturing dominance. And how do political constraints and critical-mineral supply chains shape the future effectiveness of US green industrial policy? Employing a qualitative policy analysis, this research synthesizes international energy data and assesses competing political frameworks ranging from hawkish decoupling to globalist and structuralist critiques. Findings indicate that the US response has been severely undermined by "political whiplash" and extreme ideological polarization. Furthermore, scholars warn that the US’ sweeping protectionist tariffs risk fracturing global supply chains and inflating decarbonization costs. Ultimately, this paper concludes that the US cannot simply tariff its way to clean-tech supremacy. Instead, policymakers must adopt a nuanced, risk-based trade approach, implement circular economy standards, and aggressively redirect resources to "leapfrog" China by investing in next-generation innovations like solid-state batteries.