China’s energy sector has achieved historic milestones and major breakthroughs during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–2025). Wang Hongzhi, head of the National Energy Administration (NEA), said at a press conference in Beijing that the country is on track to meet its key energy targets for the period.
According to the plan, China aims to raise its annual domestic energy production capacity to more than 4.6 billion tons of standard coal equivalent by 2025, while increasing the share of non-fossil fuels in total energy consumption to around 20 percent. Wang emphasized that China’s progress in green and low-carbon development has made it a key driver of the global clean energy transition.
Green transition and global contribution
Between 2021 and 2025, China built the world’s largest and fastest-growing renewable energy system, boosting the share of renewables in total installed power generation capacity from about 40 percent to 60 percent. The country has maintained its global leadership in wind power for 15 years and in solar power installed capacity for 10 years. During the same period, China also emerged as a global leader in new energy technologies and equipment, accounting for more than 40 percent of all new energy patents worldwide.
China also set new records in electric vehicle charging infrastructure. By the end of July 2025, the number of charging stations reached 16.6 million—ten times more than at the end of the previous five-year plan. Meanwhile, China’s exports of wind and solar products have helped reduce other countries’ carbon emissions by around 4.1 billion tons.
Within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, China signed renewable energy cooperation agreements with more than 10 countries, including Kazakhstan, Denmark, and Singapore. In addition, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s energy ministers’ meeting, deals were signed for 25 energy projects worth 40 billion yuan (about USD 5.6 billion).
Looking ahead, China plans to introduce new initiatives on energy security, energy transition, and climate change, deepen high-quality green energy cooperation, and promote the establishment of a fair, balanced, and mutually beneficial global energy governance system.