China's first energy law takes effect, highlighting green, low-carbon development

China's first energy law came into effect on Wednesday, strengthening the legal basis for the energy sector, playing a role in ensuring national energy security, and promoting green and low-carbon transformation for the world's largest energy producer and consumer.

The Energy Law provides that China will continue to advance clean and low-carbon energy sector development by prioritizing the development and utilization of renewable energy, promoting clean and efficient utilization of fossil fuels, and improving the energy utilization efficiency.

The overarching national statute formally integrates hydrogen, previously classified as hazardous chemicals, into the energy management system.

"The Energy Law is the first Chinese national law to provide for hydrogen as a type of energy, clarifying its energy attribute and opening up chances to promote the development of the hydrogen energy business. The law also defines the legal significance of the Green Electricity Certificates and supports increased green electricity use throughout society," said Wan Jinsong, deputy head of the National Energy Administration.

The Green Electricity Certificates or GECs were piloted in 2017 to build a renewable electricity market-based mechanism in China.

GECs are the sole way to validate renewable energy production and consumption.

According to official figures, China had issued 3.55 billion GECs by October, 2024.

Wan said the Energy Law will promote the transformation of energy security.

"The Energy Law sets the order of importance for developing and using fossil fuels and renewable energy. It makes it clear that priority should be given to the development and utilization of renewable energy, and the ability to switch to non-fossil energy in a safe, reliable and orderly way should be improved," Wan said.

Experts said as the core and regulating law in the energy industry, the Energy Law has constructed the institutional system for green and low-carbon energy development.

"The enactment of the Energy Law signifies that China has a basically sound system for regulating energy. It already includes the Electricity Law, the Coal Law, the Renewable Energy Law, and the Energy Conservation Law, among other laws, rules, and administrative regulations," said Wang Peng, president of the National Institute of Energy Development Strategy, North China Electric Power University.

According to the experts, the Energy Law is more comprehensive than those separate laws, spelling out how different types of energy should be used and giving basic rules for making sure that the growth of all types of energy is coordinated.

China's first energy law takes effect, highlighting green, low-carbon development

A toy shop owner in Los Angeles is worried playtime could be over for his business as the uncertainty brought by the Trump administration's tariff measures continues to disrupt supply chains and risks scaring away customers with higher prices.

Like many small U.S. businesses operators, Louis Calderon, who has been running Big Lou's Toys and Collectibles in Los Angeles for over 30 years, has been anxiously watching news reports as he looks for the latest updates about the unpredictable tariff situation.

Calderon said he has been carefully managing his overall purchases and doing all he can to pass down only the bare minimum of the cost increases to customers as he tries to protect his business from the uncertainty.

"All my distributors already told me that everything is going to go up in price. So, I have to be smart [about] what I buy and what I don't buy. I try to carry everything, but with tariffs going up - I try to be the lowest price possible, but I'm going to have to raise my prices, which is a bummer," he said.

Despite Calderon's best efforts, the reality is that price-sensitive customers are having to cut their overall spending, meaning it becomes increasingly unviable to splash the cash on non-essential items like toys.

"You know, the wages are not that high up here. It will be a little hiccup, yeah, it'll be a little hard because prices, they're already high," said Stephen Perez, a customer.

Though he has come through economic hardships in the past, Calderon said the current tariff turmoil has him worrying about the worst case scenario. He said the potential closure of his toy store means not only losing his source of income but will also destroy the long-standing connection he has established with loyal customers over the past three decades.

"I think that's the one thing that I'm worried about if we ever do close because of this, which hopefully won't happen -- I'm going to miss the interaction with people and how they come in here and they see their childhood. Honestly, that's what I'm going to miss the most," said Calderon.

For local customers who were raised up in the nearby community and have been fans of Calderon's store since their own childhoods, imagining the shop no longer being there is an unbearable thought. "This is the local one that I always came to as a kid, and that it's still open means a lot to me because you could always buy toys on Amazon and stuff like that. But finding vintage toys and stuff that you can't find on the Internet, this is one of the best places you can come to," said Perez.

LA toy shop owner worries playtime could be over as tariff uncertainty pushes up prices