Genevieve Mallet

China now dominates batteries, magnets, rare earths, heavy metals, and the construction of wind turbines and EVs. With the West divided, as the US has withdrawn from climate agreements and collaboration has stalled, geopolitical leverage is increasingly shaping the future of the green transition, rather than climate cooperation. This pause is significant; it represents a tactical intermission rather than a strategic resolution, an acknowledgment of dependency that leaves the rivalry intact.

Stationed on the western coast of Bataan near the foothills of Mount Natib, the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) has lain dormant for nearly forty years. Commissioned during President Ferdinand Marcos Sr’s administration, the plant was almost completed in 1984, costing the country $2.3 billion. Today, the Philippines is revisiting its nuclear energy ambitions as part of a broader strategy to cut its emissions.

Talks of the FTA stalled in the past over disagreements regarding palm oil and Indonesia’s export ban on raw nickel. In previous discussions, growing concern over deforestation and environmental degradation linked to palm oil has significantly strained relations between the two powers.