Green partnership is mutually beneficial

The dynamic between China and the United States has always been more than a little dysfunctional. Back in the day, we passed the Chinese Exclusion Act and they fought against us in the Vietnam War. Today, we question the value of their currency. They send us toys coated in lead paint.

But one aspect of the relationship between the Chinese and U.S. governments has improved in recent years, particularly since President Barack Obama took office, which holds an enormous potential to benefit the economies of both nations: cooperation surrounding clean energy.

The green partnership between the two countries runs deeper than most people probably realize. We now have both a U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center and a U.S.-China Ten Year Framework for Cooperation on Energy and the Environment, which coordinate research and funding to facilitate the expansion of clean energy.

Despite the tensions of the past, such a partnership seems natural. We are the two largest economies, we are the largest consumers of coal and oil and we are the largest emitters of greenhouse gases.

These efforts are more than symbolic handshakes. China and the United States are leading an Electric Vehicles Initiative, which has hosted research workshops and is working with seven other countries to track electric vehicle production across the globe. China and the United States have each pledged to contribute $75 million during the next five years to Clean Energy Research Center, according to a January progress report released by the U.S. Department of Energy.

“Our clean energy partnership with China can help boost America’s exports, creating jobs here at home, and ensure that our country remains at the forefront of technology innovation,” U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu said in the report.

That’s not to suggest the United States is the sole benefactor of the partnership.

We’re equally invested in the well being of China’s clean energy endeavors, and using our own expertise to help move them forward; among other things, the United States is participating in a Shale Gas Resource Initiative to help China more efficiently utilize its natural resources.

What we have right now is that rare breed of partnership in which both parties bring something to the table and neither seems to be merely leeching off the other. But we need to keep expanding on it, or risk being left behind.

China clearly recognizes that it can’t afford to run on coal forever. Last year, the Chinese government invested more than $50 billion in clean energy, far outspending the United States.

A Chinese solar plant recently landed a photovoltaic project in Arizona over a number of prominent American companies, and as of January, Chinese wind turbines  harness more power than do U.S. turbines.

China can still benefit from the resources and expertise of the United States. But if we don’t stress that point now by strengthening our existing partnership, both countries could miss out on the benefits of future collaboration.

A mutual dislike of smog isn’t enough to erase 150 years of political tension. The relationship between the two nations is still dysfunctional and the realm of clean energy isn’t safe from that. True to form, the United States is challenging the validity of China’s wind energy subsidies as we speak.

But both countries are going to have to set aside any inherent suspicions and keep trying to work conjointly if they want to reap the benefits.

“Over the last decade, experts from the United States … and Chinese policy makers have actively shared best practices for establishing demand-side energy efficiency programs, resulting in a recent Chinese policy in the power sector that can potentially save enough electricity to power 10 million Chinese homes,” said Barbara Finamore, senior attorney and China program director of the Natural Resource Defense Council, in the progress report. “This program is a testament to the value of long-term cooperation between the United States and China on clean energy.”

Kastalia Medrano is a sophomore majoring in print and digital journalism and assiciate managing editor for the Daily Trojan. Her column, “Green Piece,” runs Tuesdays.