Can Imports of Clean Energy Equipment Inhibit a Country’s Carbon Emissions? Evidence from China’s Manufacturing Industry for Solar PVs, Wind Turbines, and Lithium Batteries

Against the backdrop of China’s “triple carbon” goals, carbon peaking by 2030, carbon reduction by 2035, and carbon neutrality by 2060, examining the impacts of the clean energy equipment manufacturing industry’s (CEEMI’s) imports on carbon emissions holds significant practical importance for promoting sustainable development. Based on provincial panel data from 2001 to 2023, we employed a STIRPAT model to analyze how the CEEMI’s imports affect China’s carbon emissions. We further explored the sustainable transformation mechanism from two perspectives, global value chain (GVC) participation and green technological progress. The results indicate that a 1% increase in imports leads to a 0.1312% reduction in carbon emissions. Mechanism tests show that imports lower emissions primarily by increasing backward GVC participation and promoting green patent innovation. Heterogeneity analysis further reveals that the emission-abating effects are more pronounced in high-income and industry-dominated provinces, and that imports of lithium batteries exhibit stronger emission-abating effects than those of wind turbines and solar PVs.