This piece is part of a series titled “Between dependence and delay: Chinese investment and America’s clean energy future” from Brookings’s John L. Thornton China Center. In the third conversation of the series, Ryan Hass is joined by Michael Dunne, Michael Davidson, and Kate Logan to examine how U.S. policy on Chinese investment in clean energy operates in practice. Participants held differing views on how much the United States stands to gain from partnerships with Chinese companies and whether those are worth the risks, but they agreed that some form of Chinese involvement in the U.S. clean energy sector is probably inevitable. The discussion covers how the U.S. approach compares to that of allies and partners, and whether Washington should recalibrate accordingly. The group examines feasibility concerns around the Ford-CATL licensing model as a template for managing Chinese technology partnerships and considers whether the current chaotic patchwork of investment screening rules, tariffs, and tax credit restrictions might actually give the United States unexpected leverage. Participants also explore what incentive structures and policy options are available to policymakers, and how Chinese firms themselves are thinking about strategies to enter the U.S. market. What national security imperatives are driving U.S. policy toward Chinese investment? Ryan Hass Hello, and thank you all for joining us for the third session of our series, examining the potential for Chinese investment in the U.S. clean energy sector. My name is Ryan Hass. In our first conversation, we explored the core tension at the heart of this debate, the tradeoff between accelerating and deployment and managing strategic risk. In our second session, we worked to clarify what those risks are and where red lines might reasonably be drawn. Today, we have three experts who will help us turn to implementation. How is the current policy environment shaping