China's Belt & Road Initiative wind energy cooperation: Wind of change for the Chinese energy finance?

Abstract

While China's leadership in wind turbines export has been increasingly spotlighted, studies remain extremely limited concerning the repartition of Chinese investments in international power projects as well as the socio-economic and environmental implications of wind farms for the developing countries of the Belt & Road Initiative (BRI). To fill this gap, this research investigates the repartition of wind farms funding from China's foreign direct investment (FDI) and policy banks, especially in comparison with other BRI power projects. The methodology synergizes quantitative geospatial analysis and qualitative empirical analysis. This study reveals that a) although China is leading the wind turbines export worldwide, the financing reorientation toward wind energy should be pursued, b) BRI nations, aligned with China's dedication to improving their sustainability, need more renewables FDI, c) although wind turbines hold vast potential in developing countries, the large wind farms require long-term socio-economic and environmental safeguards.