Europe should partner with China in clean hydrogen race

China emerges as clear frontrunner as US growth stalls and Europe burdens its industry with labyrinthine regulations

Europe should work with China and capitalise on its leadership in low-carbon hydrogen because it will likely miss its own targets amid ever-changing rules and regulations, according to speakers at the World Hydrogen Summit in Rotterdam. With the US administration of Donald Trump looking set to repeal tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act and other programmes supporting low-carbon hydrogen projects, China is likely to emerge as the world leader because Europe is getting lost in its own labyrinthine regulations. “The Chinese are going faster, and they have cheaper energy available,” said Pierre-Etienne Franc, CEO of Hy24, a hydrogen private equity asset manager. “They are basically lead