International Cooperation Deepens Continuously: China’s Full Hydrogen Energy Industry Chain Accelerates "Going Global"

2025-10-16 10:10:42
news

Source: Securities Daily

Author: Liu Huan

Since 2025, Chinese hydrogen energy enterprises have continued to "go global" with great momentum. Through various models such as equipment

export, technology R&D, joint venture factories, and co-development, these enterprises are deepening international cooperation.

On July 29, Lanzhou Lanshi Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Lanshi Group") and Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Hashim Industrial Gases & Equipment Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "AHG") signed a strategic cooperation agreement and an intended procurement agreement. The two parties will jointly promote the R&D and commercial application of full-chain technologies for hydrogen-ammonia energy, covering the entire process of "production, storage, refueling, and utilization".

According to statistics compiled by a reporter from Securities Daily, as of July 30, there have been as many as 11 overseas hydrogen-related initiatives launched by domestic enterprises since July alone; and since the beginning of this year, the number of "going global" cases of Chinese hydrogen enterprises has reached 44, involving core markets such as the Middle East, Europe, and Southeast Asia.

Song Xiangqing, Vice President of the China Commercial Economics Association, stated in an interview with a reporter from Securities Daily: "Hydrogen energy enterprises face three major opportunities when ‘going global’: First, the surge in global demand for clean energy has created broad market space for hydrogen energy; second, China has made breakthroughs in hydrogen energy technology and can achieve win-win results through technology export and international cooperation; third, strong policy support from the national and local governments, coupled with active efforts to build international cooperation platforms, has created a favorable environment for enterprises to ‘go global’."

A number of industry insiders, in interviews with the reporter from Securities Daily, noted that this marks China’s hydrogen enterprises have moved from the early exploratory stage of "going global" to a new phase characterized by large-scale development, localization, and full industrial chain collaboration. Relying on its strong manufacturing and engineering capabilities, China will play a key role as a shaper of the global hydrogen energy supply chain in the green transition.

Electrolyzers Account for a Large Share of "Going Global" Initiatives

From the perspective of cooperation content in Chinese hydrogen enterprises’ "going global" efforts, it covers the entire industrial chain—including upstream and downstream links such as hydrogen production equipment, hydrogen refueling stations, and hydrogen energy applications. Among hydrogen production equipment, electrolyzers account for the majority of "going global" cases.

In May this year, Guangdong Lanshi Ammonia-Hydrogen Energy Equipment Co., Ltd.—a subsidiary of Lanzhou Lanshi Heavy Equipment Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Lanshi Heavy Equipment", a listed company under Lanshi Group)—signed a contract with AHG for a 10Nm³/h PEM water electrolysis hydrogen production equipment project. This marked Lanshi Heavy Equipment’s first international business order for hydrogen production equipment.

A relevant person in charge of Lanshi Heavy Equipment said that signing the water electrolysis hydrogen production equipment project contract with AHG signifies the company has achieved a breakthrough in the international market in the field of hydrogen energy equipment. With the advancement of the joint construction of the "Belt and Road", the company will leverage its advantageous production capacity layout of "five major bases + mobile factories" to provide higher-quality services to countries participating in the "Belt and Road" initiative and further integrate into the international economic strategic circle.

In addition, other enterprises such as Sunshine Hydrogen Energy Technology Co., Ltd. and Jiangsu Shuangliang New Energy Equipment Co., Ltd. have also been delivering orders or signing cooperation agreements in overseas markets.

In the hydrogen storage and transportation link, domestic enterprises have begun to make efforts in technologies such as liquid hydrogen and hydrogen long-distance pipeline materials. These related technologies have gradually gained recognition in the international market, and overseas orders have continued to grow.

In April this year, Lanshi Group signed a contract with AHG for a 70MPa skid-mounted hydrogen refueling station project. In early July, Baoshan Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. secured the first order for hydrogen transmission seamless pipeline pipes in Australia, achieving a breakthrough of zero in China’s overseas market for hydrogen transmission pipeline pipes.

Investment in green hydrogen projects and EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) have also become important directions for hydrogen enterprises to "go global". In the field of green hydrogen-ammonia-alcohol, enterprises such as China Energy Construction Hydrogen Energy Co., Ltd. and Wison Engineering (China) Co., Ltd., relying on their rich experience in the traditional energy sector and technological innovations in new fields, have also "gone global" with integrated solutions for EPC and project investment.

Beyond the full-chain "going global" covering "production, storage, refueling, and utilization", China’s application-side products such as fuel cell technology and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are also accelerating their global expansion—demonstrating that China is participating in and reshaping the global green hydrogen supply chain in an all-round way. Take Proton Motor Technology Co., Ltd., a new energy commercial vehicle enterprise, as an example: on May 20, the company successfully held a dispatch ceremony for the first batch of exported hydrogen fuel heavy trucks to Australia, and signed an intention agreement with Australian partners for the export of 20 hydrogen fuel cell heavy trucks.

The cooperation models of domestic hydrogen enterprises overseas also present a diversified feature. In addition to the aforementioned direct equipment supply, EPC general contracting, and co-development by relevant enterprises, there are also various forms such as joint venture factories and technology licensing.

Jiangsu Guofu Hydrogen Energy Technology & Equipment Co., Ltd. has laid out electrolyzer production bases in Germany, Australia, India, and other places; Beijing Zhongdian Fengye Technology Development Co., Ltd. has established an electrolyzer production plant in Spain. CSSC (Handan) 派瑞 Hydrogen Energy Technology Co., Ltd. has carried out technology licensing cooperation with foreign enterprises.

"Transnational cooperation has promoted the exchange and cooperation of hydrogen energy technologies between different countries and regions, accelerated technological innovation and breakthroughs, enabled enterprises in the upstream and downstream of the hydrogen energy industry chain to complement each other’s advantages, and jointly promoted the full-chain development of the hydrogen energy industry covering ‘production, storage, refueling, and utilization’," Song Xiangqing said. "At the same time, it also helps enterprises expand the international market, enhance the international competitiveness of Chinese enterprises, and assist Chinese enterprises in integrating into the global hydrogen energy value chain."

Market Demand Released Rapidly

"Against the backdrop of global energy transition, the demand for overseas hydrogen energy markets is being released rapidly—especially the carbon neutrality policies in Europe and the new energy transition in the Middle East, which have brought unprecedentedly huge market space," Lin Xianping said.

In the transportation sector, the promotion of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in Europe is accelerating. Countries such as Germany and France are vigorously deploying hydrogen energy heavy trucks, buses, and passenger cars, and plan to build thousands of hydrogen refueling stations by 2030. In Japan, automobile manufacturers such as Toyota are leading the R&D of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and plan to realize a "hydrogen energy society" by 2050.

In terms of domestic policies, in January this year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the Notice on Organizing the Implementation of the 2025 Future Industry Innovation Task "Leaders Recruitment" Work. It clearly stated that China will focus on four major directions—clean hydrogen production, storage and transfer, transportation and distribution, and power and material utilization—to develop a batch of complete sets of technologies and equipment for clean hydrogen covering "production, storage, transportation, and utilization". The document also aims to promote the application of clean hydrogen in transportation, metallurgy, chemical industry, and other fields, with the "Leaders Recruitment" work basically scheduled to be completed by 2026.

In February this year, the National Energy Administration issued the 2025 Energy Work Guidance Opinions, which proposed to strengthen the supply of standards in fields such as hydrogen energy and green liquid fuels; steadily develop the renewable energy-based hydrogen production and sustainable fuel industries; steadily promote the pilot application of fuel cell vehicles; orderly advance the construction of a national hydrogen energy information platform; prudently and orderly explore the pilot application of hydrogen pipeline transmission projects; and promote local governments to establish and improve hydrogen energy management mechanisms.

A securities analyst told the reporter: "From 2025 to 2026, against the backdrop of the implementation of national hydrogen energy-related standards and the improvement of the level of complete hydrogen energy technologies, the hydrogen energy industry is expected to achieve rapid development."

"In the future, driven by the growth of international market demand, policy support, and technological progress, the trend of hydrogen energy enterprises ‘going global’ will continue to accelerate," Yu Fenghui, Senior Researcher at Pangoal Institution (Beijing) Information Consulting Co., Ltd., told the reporter from Securities Daily.

Fierce Competition in the Global Market

The "going global" journey of Chinese hydrogen energy enterprises is not without obstacles.

"The main challenges are reflected in the differences in hydrogen energy technical standards and regulations across different countries and regions. The global hydrogen energy market is highly competitive, and Chinese hydrogen energy enterprises are facing competitive pressure from other countries and regions; in addition, policy and geopolitical uncertainties—such as trade protectionism and policy adjustments—may increase the operational risks of enterprises," Song Xiangqing said.

For example, the green certification thresholds set by the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) have forced enterprises to accelerate the acquisition of international certifications such as CE and UL; the environmental differences between the high temperatures in the Middle East and the extreme cold in Northern Europe require localized R&D efforts.

In Yu Fenghui’s view, at present, hydrogen energy enterprises are in the stage of rapid expansion in their "going global" efforts, but there is still a certain distance from maturity. In the future, enterprises should focus on improving the quality of products and services, increasing R&D investment to maintain technological leadership, and at the same time strengthen brand building and market development capabilities to accelerate the pace of overseas layout. In addition, building a stable supply chain system is also an essential part.

Lin Xianping suggested that hydrogen energy enterprises should pay attention to policy changes such as the EU Carbon Border Tax and lay out the green hydrogen certification system in advance; leading enterprises should jointly establish an overseas hydrogen energy alliance to share resources and reduce the cost of "going global"; and enterprises should establish an international compliance system and explore the "consortium going global" model.

"In the next three years, enterprises with technological iteration capabilities, localized ecosystem construction capabilities, and standard discourse power will occupy the competitive commanding heights. The industry as a whole will shift from ‘cost-driven’ to ‘value-driven’, and finally achieve the leap from ‘Made in China’ to ‘China Standards’," Song Xiangqing said.