EU climate chief is concerned over the expansion of the coal industry in China

BEIJING (AP) — The European Union’s climate chief has expressed concern over the expansion of China’s coal industry, with the building of new coal-fired plants. At a conference in Beijing on Monday, Frans Timmermans said that while China plans to expand its use of renewable resources such as wind and solar energy, the country has also been constructing an ever-growing number of coal-fired plants in the past few years. He said that “seems to be in a contradiction and it is in contradiction,” but added he could understand ”the anxiety caused by potential blackouts.” China is the world’s biggest and fastest-growing producer of renewable energy. It aims to turn one-third of its total power supply renewable by 2025 and become carbon neutral by 2060.