This piece is part of the Argentine-Chinese Chamber of Commerce’s monthly column in the Buenos Aires Herald.
China’s impressive growth in recent years is news to nobody — but what is less recognized is the growing role of sustainability in China’s investment and development planning.
Back in 2012, China incorporated the concept of an “ecological civilization” into its National Constitution, making environmental protection an indispensable requirement in its development plans. In September 2020, President Xi Jinping reaffirmed this orientation at the United Nations General Assembly, pledging to reach peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
A clear example of China’s role in sustainable industries is hybrid and electric vehicles. China leads the world on both price and quality: car exports overall rose from one million in 2020 to 5.5 million in 2024, of which 40% were electric. Latin American countries are already getting involved: Chinese hybrid and electric cars have achieved a consolidated presence in Brazil, where imports of these vehicles tripled to 120,000 in 2024. In January, Argentina passed Decree 49/2025, formalizing the government’s decision to create a quota of 50,000 hybrid and electric cars per year that will not be subject to the 35% import tariff, opening the door to Chinese brands.
Sustainable business from China is also a source of local employment. The Chinese automaker BYD, a global leader in electric mobility, invested more than US$500 million dollars to convert a former Ford plant in the Brazilian state of Bahia into a new production facility. By this July, just 15 months after construction began, BYD had already started production, with plans to manufacture 150,000 vehicles per year and create 20,000 jobs.
Another sustainable sector from which Argentina could benefit is renewable energy, in which China holds global leadership. For example, in 2023 China consolidated its position as the world’s top exporter of solar panels, reaching 207.99 gigawatts of modules sold abroad. While official figures for 2024 are still pending, independent analysis of customs data indicate that exports rose 13% to 235.93 GW.
Here, Argentina could find an opening in the off-grid microgrid market. Chinese companies are offering the world’s most competitive prices for solar panel installations that power autonomous electrical systems independent of traditional transmission and distribution networks. These microgrids provide an alternative during blackouts and a solution for isolated communities beyond the reach of conventional power lines.
Patagonian winds, Chinese turbines China is also an indisputable leader in the wind turbine sector. According to BloombergNEF, Chinese turbine makers led global wind installations in 2024: six out of the top 10 global wind turbine suppliers were from China. These firms are heavily reliant on their home market — the Chinese wind market is twice the size of all global markets combined — but Western firms view the scale and competitiveness of these companies with concern.
Various academic and technical studies have concluded that Patagonia has impressive wind resources, with research by CONICET and national universities in Río Negro and northern Patagonia showing capacity factors — that is, how much energy a wind farm actually produces compared with the maximum it could produce — of close to 50%. The figure is well above the international average for onshore wind farms.
A clear example of complementarity in wind energy can be seen in Goldwind’s presence in the province of Chubut. The Chinese company has invested nearly US$500 million in four operational wind farms that contribute 256 megawatts, and has accumulated another 716 MW in contracts with other companies that operate wind farms in the country, such as Genneia, Aluar, and Total Energies.
Argentina has ideal conditions to develop clean energy and play a key role in the sustainable economy of the future. As a result of its leadership in green industries and its potential as an investor, China is a strategic partner for developing sustainable industries such as electric cars, wind power, and solar energy. Together, these factors open a new horizon of business opportunities that is waiting to be seized.
