Climate Politics
China’s New Weapon in US Trade Talks: Batteries
The US is heavily reliant on Chinese batteries as it seeks to stabilize the grid and support explosive data center demand for power.
China’s newly announced raft of restrictions on the export of batteries could have major impacts on US companies, analysts say.
Beijing has previously used rare earths as a tool in the trade war with Washington. But with its commanding position in the battery industry, China has identified another point of leverage in trade talks as the US increasingly needs energy storage to support data centers and stabilize the grid.