US President Donald Trump is pushing to resurrect America’s coal sector by expanding mining and subsidising coal-fired power plants to meet the energy demands in a race against China on artificial intelligence.
“Our nation’s beautiful clean coal resources will be critical to meeting the rise in electricity demand due to the resurgence of domestic manufacturing and the construction of artificial intelligence data processing centres,” Trump said in an executive order signed on April 8.
But China has upped its game. In Pingdingshan, a once-struggling coal city in the central province of Henan, coal is no longer just mined and burned – it’s being chemically transformed into nylon, one of the most important and widely used synthetic polymers in the world.
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Nylon plays an essential role in high-performance clothing such as lingerie and sportswear. It also has a wide range of high-value applications in aerospace, defence, and the car and electronic industries.
This shift marks a strategic divergence in how nations are treating fossil resources in the age of the green energy revolution.
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Where the US doubles down on coal as an energy commodity – despite pollution and climate impact, China is unlocking its potential as a critical raw material that adds far more value to the manufacturing production chain than in a boiler.