They are also leading the world in coal mining.

I see this ridiculous comment all the time. Yes, they are mining coal because their need for energy outstrips their ability to build and bring online renewables but that doesn't change the fact that they are building renewables faster than the rest of the world combined and at some point cleap, clean renewables will meet their energy needs.

Energy cost makes up between 10% and 80% of the cost of everythin you buy. When energy is cheaper the products are cheaper or the profits are higher. When China is run on all those cheap, clean renewables, and when the US has burned all the oil and all the gas and all the coal and the wealthy have run away to their slave islands to sit on their bags of money everyone else will be fucked.

But, by all means, keep Whatabouting those stupid little "gotcha" comments.

And I remember people singing the same song about Japan in the late 70s as they do about China now. Extrapolation works perfectly in a world with no limiting factors.

Really? People were saying that Japan was building so much cheap, clean renewable energy that they were going to have cheaper products and beat the west? I don't remember anyone saying that.