China”s Belt and Road Initiative Reaches Record $20.1 Billion in Green Energy Deals in H1 2026

Sunday 26 July 2026 08:54

China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)—President Xi Jinping’s signature foreign policy project aimed at expanding Beijing's global economic footprint—recorded a milestone level of funding for green energy projects during the first half (H1) of 2026. The surge reflects growing global demand for lower-cost renewable energy sources in the wake of market fallout from the US war on Iran.

According to a study conducted jointly by Australia’s University of Queensland and the Green Finance and Development Center in Shanghai, green energy deals under the initiative totaled $20.1 billion in the first six months of the year.

This six-month total has already eclipsed the BRI’s entire green energy financing volume for the full year of 2025, underscoring a major shift toward clean energy investments across participating nations.