China has recently pulled out of the proposed coal power plant for Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone (MM – SEZ) in Limpopo. This comes after major Chinese investors jointly committed over $9 billion to the project.
The coal power plant in Secunda. Picture: Flickr Commons
At the UN General Assembly in September however, Chinese president, Xi Jinping, announced that they ‘will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad.’
Earlier this month, Fossil Free South Africa made contact with China’s ambassador to South Africa, Chen Xiaodong, who confirmed the Chinese president’s statements.
The ambassador commented that ‘China is willing to work with all countries, South Africa included, to establish and improve a green and circular economic system development system and green and low-carbon energy.’
The MM – SEZ project included plans for at least 20 industrial plants, all of which would contribute significantly to greenhouse emissions. Fossil Free South Africa stated that the project was controversial from the start, making it impossible for South Africa to meet its carbon commitments.
There is some confusion as to China’s role in the climate struggle, where China, along with India, was vilified following their lobby to change the wording of the COP26 agreement from ‘phasing out’ coal to phasing down,’ yet china is the world largest investor in renewable energy.
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