Source: pv magazine Global
China's structural advantages in renewable manufacturing—lower labor costs, abundant rare earth processing, and existing supply chains—are translating into green hydrogen production at roughly half the cost of Western competitors. Hydrogen-intensive industries (steel, chemicals, ammonia) will likely locate where production costs are lowest. Chinese producers are already bidding for export contracts and joint ventures, forcing Western governments to choose between subsidizing homegrown production or accepting dependence on Chinese hydrogen infrastructure, similar to the solar panel dynamics of the 2010s.