The main photovoltaic technology base in Yuncheng, Shanxi Province, China, August 17, 2025. LIU BAOCHENG/CFOTO/AFP A new rivalry has emerged between Beijing and Washington: hydrocarbons versus electrons. The year 2025 marked the height of this energy divergence between the United States – the world’s leading producer of oil and gas – and China, sometimes dubbed the first true “electrostate” for its massive investments in clean technologies and the electrification of its economy. On one side, Donald Trump’s America has approved a series of liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal projects, while opening up millions of square kilometers for drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coasts of California and Alaska. As for renewable energy? “A green scam,” claimed the US president, who in recent months has cut dozens of subsidies and tax credits for the sector. At the end of December, his administration suspended five major offshore wind projects in the Atlantic, citing “national security risks.” On the other side, China has taken a diametrically opposite path. Fossil fuels still play a dominant role …