China Will Skip UK Energy Summit; US Will Send MAGA Clown; Plenty Of Oil Company Representation, Though
China is to snub a major UK summit on energy security next week, the Guardian has learned, amid a growing row over the country’s involvement in UK infrastructure projects. The US will send a senior White House official to the 60-country summit, to be co-hosted with the International Energy Agency. Leading oil and gas companies are also invited, along with big technology businesses, and petrostates including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
The absence of China – the world’s biggest producer of clean energy technology, and biggest emitter of greenhouse gases – is a blow to the UK, though it is likely to be privately welcomed by the US. The landmark conference, to which 60 countries have been invited, would have marked the first time the US and China had jointly attended a big international forum since Donald Trump began his trade war over tariffs last month.
Tzeporah Berman, founder of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, said: “There is no question that China not coming is a huge setback for global energy cooperation, at a critical moment in history. Trump will send a Maga climate denier to try to distort the conversation and push for increased dependency on US oil and gas, rather than a shift towards cleaner energy systems. “China is leading the world in renewables and electric cars and their refusal to come is a clear signal that they are not going to entertain the Trump administration’s strong-arming to hold back progress.”
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Among the businesses invited are companies that have recently rowed back on their climate commitments, including the oil companies BP, Shell and ExxonMobil; technology companies with strong interests in AI, including Google, Amazon and Microsoft; and banks with large fossil fuel investments, including Bank of America, HSBC and Barclays. The Guardian understands that space constraints at Lancaster House prevented more invitations. A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: “As we go further and faster in delivering the clean energy transition, Britain is returning to responsible global leadership. That is why we have invited governments, businesses, academics, civil society organisations and others to be part of this dialogue.”
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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/16/china-to-snub-uk-energy-summit-amid-row-over-infrastructure-projects