Europe\u2019s wind turbines have become part of a wider struggle over energy security, industrial power and the west\u2019s dependence on China.<\/p>\n
European wind power capacity has surged dramatically in recent years. Wind energy now supplies 17% of EU electricity<\/a> up from 13% in 2019. Offshore wind<\/a> has expanded particularly rapidly, with installed capacity growing strongly over the past decade. <\/p>\n But Brussels wants renewables to provide at least 42.5%<\/a> of the EU\u2019s total energy mix by 2030. Wind is \u201cpivotal\u201d<\/a> to this strategy, according to the European Commission\u2019s wind power action plan. The challenge for Europe is to meet its 2030 target, it needs to build 33 gigawatts (GW) of new wind turbines annually<\/a>. <\/p>\n So far, data from 2022<\/a>, 2023<\/a> and 2024<\/a> indicates that Europe has averaged only around 16-19 GW of new installations per year. This leaves a significant gap between Europe\u2019s target and its implementation.<\/p>\n Across the Atlantic, the picture is just as uncertain. The US Inflation Reduction Act<\/a> introduced during Joe Biden\u2019s presidency promised a surge in renewable energy investment, including wind. But growing political opposition to turbines, especially from Donald Trump and his political allies, has cast doubt over how far that momentum can go<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cheap turbines and fast delivery<\/p>\n Europe\u2019s installation shortfall and the US\u2019s retreat from wind energy create a strategic opening for China. Chinese manufacturers dominate the global wind industry, with six of the top ten turbine makers<\/a> and producing over 70% of the world\u2019s new wind turbines<\/a> in 2024. Companies like Goldwind, Envision and Mingyang offer turbines that are 30-40% cheaper<\/a> than western equivalents and promise faster delivery<\/a>. <\/p>\n This puts the west in a bind: accept Chinese help to meet climate targets quickly and cheaply, or reject it and risk falling further behind. <\/p>\n Europe could certainly rely on Chinese wind power to close its gap in renewable energy. The same could be said about the US, although its desire to push forward with wind power is not clear. US wind deployment fell to 5.2 GW in 2024, the lowest level in a decade<\/a>, and turbine orders dropped 50% in the first half of 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n However, allowing Chinese firms greater market access creates a real policy dilemma. While purchases of Chinese turbines would speed up Europe\u2019s energy transition and is cost effective, the EU sees China as an economic rival and security risk<\/a> that potentially undermines the union\u2019s industrial and strategic autonomy. <\/p>\n The US appetite for Chinese wind tech is much lower than Europe\u2019s. Aside from permit delays, grid connection bottlenecks and rising costs<\/a>, Trump\u2019s return to office in 2025 is an important factor in the US\u2019s renewable slowdown. The US president has publicly labelled wind power \u201ca joke\u201d<\/a>, and has frozen<\/a> federal permits for offshore and onshore wind projects, in addition to eliminating<\/a> renewable energy tax credits.<\/p>\n But that\u2019s not all. Washington views China\u2019s dominance in wind turbine technology as a security threat requiring protectionist barriers, and has effectively blocked Chinese wind technology through various measures. This includes Western tariffs haven\u2019t slowed China\u2019s wind industry but have redirected it. Chinese wind turbine exports surged 50%<\/a> in 2025. By the end of 2025, cumulative exports had exceeded 28 GW, a thirteenfold increase from 2015. Chinese manufacturers are now selling wind turbines to more than 60 countries, and have established production or research operations in more than 20.<\/p>\n The UK\u2019s largest wind farm is off the east coast.<\/p>\n Targeting new markets<\/p>\n The pattern is clear: China is targeting developing markets where western competition is weak and renewable energy demand is surging. The biggest purchasers of turbines from China in 2024 were Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Brazil, Egypt and Kazakhstan<\/a>. All are participants in China\u2019s economic development plan, the Belt and Road Initiative<\/a>.<\/p>\n But China\u2019s wind momentum shows no signs of slowing. Pakistan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia are expected to add 120 GW of wind and solar capacity<\/a> over the next decade, requiring US$73 billion (\u00a353.5 billion) in investment. Chinese firms already captured over 60% of renewable energy capacity in these markets since 2024, and is set to expand further.<\/p>\n
\nnational security probes<\/a> into wind turbine imports, 50% tariffs<\/a> on wind turbines and parts, and tax credit restrictions<\/a> that bar companies using Chinese-manufactured components from accessing federal clean energy incentives. <\/p>\n