A worker with white gloves inspects a vehicle on the assembly line at a factory of the electric carmaker Zeekr in Ningbo, China.

Reflected gloryPhotograph: Qilai Shen/The New York Times/Redux/eyevine

Aug 21st 2025|4 min read

Picture a country where renewables are being rapidly rolled out and electric-vehicle sales are surging, and you will probably have in mind somewhere smug and northern European; a place with tall people, coalition governments and a yen for cycling holidays. Or perhaps the first thing that pops into your head is the sheer scale of China, which manufactures the bulk of such equipment and last year contributed more than half of the global increase in solar and wind installation.

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