CKN Knowledge Session - China's Hydrogen Ambitions and Clean Energy Competition

China is the world’s largest investor in clean energy and continues to make rapid advances in hydrogen technologies, batteries and other key sectors of the energy transition. These developments are reshaping global energy markets and raising important questions about technological dependence, industrial policy and international collaboration.

In this China Knowledge Network (CKN) Knowledge Session, we will explain our proposal to examine what this means in practice. What is the current state of China’s clean energy and hydrogen technologies? How competitive are Chinese solutions in areas such as electrolysers and fuel cells? And what do these developments mean for the Netherlands as both a technology developer and user?

Particular attention will be given to the emergence of large cleantech hubs in Shanxi and Inner Mongolia, and the importance of learning what lessons these developments may offer for Dutch policy and innovation ecosystems.

Gadi Rothenberg is Professor of Heterogeneous Catalysis and Sustainable Chemistry at the University of Amsterdam and Distinguished Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University. Based at the Van ’t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, his research focuses on developing new catalysts and sustainable energy applications. Rothenberg’s work bridges science, industry and policy, with a strong focus on how technological innovation can contribute to a cleaner and more sustainable world. His latest textbook, Innovation Management in Sustainable Chemistry (Wiley-VCH, Wiley-VCH, 2026, ISBN 978-3527354511) links sustainable science with sustainable business.