EU Wants to Displace China as Africa, Asia’s Cleantech Provider

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gives a press conference to review progress one year after the "Draghi report" on the Future of European Competitiveness, at the EU headquarters in Brussels, on September 16, 2025. (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP)

European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU should make green technology a cornerstone of its strategy to counter Chinese influence in the developing world.

Speaking at a seminar marking a year since the release of a landmark report on the bloc’s global influence, she said: “From Africa to India to Central Asia, they are looking for clean tech solutions. Europe can be home to frontrunner industries that can export the solutions to others. We should be the industrial powerhouse that meets this growing demand for clean tech.”

  • Get a daily email packed with the latest news and analysis from Africa, Asia, and across the Global South.
  • Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China’s relations across the Global South.
  • Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in the Global South.

China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening.

Subscribe today for unlimited access.

What is The China-Global South Project?

Independent

The China-Global South Project is passionately independent, non-partisan and does not advocate for any country, company or culture.

News

A carefully curated selection of the day’s most important China-Global South stories. Updated 24 hours a day by human editors. No bots, no algorithms.

Analysis

Diverse, often unconventional insights from scholars, analysts, journalists and a variety of stakeholders in the China-Global South discourse.

Networking

A unique professional network of China-Africa scholars, analysts, journalists and other practioners from around the world.

[ATTENTION SUBSCRIBERS] Delivery of the daily email newsletter will resume on Monday, January 5th.

X