Xi Jinping’s flagship overseas infrastructure programme the Belt and Road Initiative boosted its green energy financing to a record $20.1bn in the first half of 2026 as the US war in Iran fuels demand for cheaper renewable power. The value of China’s BRI green energy deals in the first six months of this year topped its total for the whole of 2025, according to research by Australia’s University of Queensland and the Green Finance & Development Center in Shanghai. It included $11.8bn in construction projects and $8.3bn in investments.
Total BRI deals rose to a record high of $126.3bn in the first half of 2026, up from $123.3bn in the same period in 2025. The 2026 figure was composed of $49.8bn in investment and $76.5bn in construction projects.
