U.S.–China Competition in the Age of Trump’s Energy Law

Once, climate and clean energy were common ground between the United States and China, most notably in the lead-up to the 2015 Paris Agreement. In the years since, cooperation has given way to competition. China has emerged as the global leader in clean energy manufacturing, while the U.S.—under the Biden administration—moved to catch up through the Inflation Reduction Act.

Now, President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act has set a very different course. The law rolls back many clean energy incentives, puts new emphasis on fossil fuels and emerging technologies like advanced nuclear and certain hydrogen sources, and sharpens trade and supply chain tensions with China through expanded tariffs and Foreign Entity of Concern restrictions.

What does this shift mean for U.S.–China relations, American competitiveness, and the global energy transition?

Scott Moore, faculty fellow at the Kleinman Center and director of China programs and strategic initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania, joins Energy Policy Now to unpack the stakes. A leading expert on U.S.–China relations, Moore offers perspective on how Trump’s policies could reshape the balance of power between the world’s two largest economies.

guest

Scott Moore

Director of China Programs and Strategic Initiatives

Scott Moore is a faculty fellow at the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy and the Director of China Programs and Strategic Initiatives. He is also a practice professor of political science.

host

Andy Stone

Energy Policy Now Host and Producer

Andy Stone is producer and host of Energy Policy Now, the Kleinman Center’s podcast series. He previously worked in business planning with PJM Interconnection and was a senior energy reporter at Forbes Magazine.