Time: 5:30-6:30 pm, Wednesday September 2

Location: LIB 1115

Speaker: Dr. Wei Shen, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), University of Sussex

Hosts: Dr. Coraline Goron, Assistant Professor of Environmental Policy;

Dr. Jennifer Turner, Visiting Professor of International Environmental Policy

Abstract:

China has emerged as the world’s dominant force in both renewable energy manufacturing and critical mineral processing, positioning it as a pivotal and paradoxical actor in the global South’s energy transition. This talk provides a dual-lens analysis: first, a landscape view of Chinese investment trends in renewable energy and critical minerals across Africa; second, deep-dive case studies from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zimbabwe, and Guinea.

The talk advances three central puzzles. First, a decoupling paradox: while Chinese state-backed financing for large-scale infrastructure and energy projects is visibly retreating as a result of debt sustainability concerns and shifting domestic priorities, Chinese corporate appetite remain robust, reshaping the business model, partnerships, and bankability on the ground. Second, a rising energy-mineral nexus: Chinese investments are increasingly linking renewable energy infrastructure directly to mining operations, creating integrated ecosystems but risk locking host countries into supplier roles without industrial upgrading. Third, a governance gap: meaningful ESG (environmental, social, governance) practices remain elusive. Despite stated commitments to green finance and responsible sourcing in the policy rhetoric, on-the-ground challenges persist.

Through evidence from DRC’s cobalt belt, Zimbabwe’s lithium investment, and Guinea’s hydropower stations, this talk argues that China’s role is neither a benign accelerant nor a neocolonial extractor, but something more complex: a pragmatic, fragmented, and rapidly evolving force that is simultaneously enabling and complicating the global South’s energy transition pathways.

Bio:

Dr. Wei Shen is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), University of Sussex in the UK, which is the world’s leading institution for Development Studies (QS ranking #1 for five consecutive years). His research examines China’s role in global environmental and climate governance, with particular emphasis on energy transitions, critical minerals, and green investment across Africa and Southeast Asia. An IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6 WGIII) Lead Author with extensive publication records, his research draws on prior industry experience in Chinese policy banks and extensive field-based research across the Global South. His work bridges academic rigour with applied policy impact. Dr. Shen also serves as Research Director at the International Institute of Green Finance, at Central University of Finance and Economics in Beijing.