Navigating China’s Hydrogen Transition: Multi-tier Strategic Insights and Roadmap for Sustainable Development

Hydrogen, as an energy carrier, is seen as a prominent candidate for the deep decarbonization of hard-to-abate sectors. Realizing the vision of a low-carbon hydrogen economy requires a complex transition pathway based on international collaboration, national efforts, and project practices. First, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive, multi-tier review of hydrogen development. The results indicated that an increasing number of countries are formulating ambitious hydrogen strategies. However, in China, the world's most important market for hydrogen, national-level strategic guidance remains insufficient. At the same time, provincial government plans far exceed the conservative national targets, resulting in significant project activity. China’s initial position is advantageous due to its capabilities in electrolyzer manufacturing capacity, cost-efficient supply chains, and effective project implementation. To address the mismatch between top-down coordination and bottom-up development, the objective of this paper is to propose an enhanced roadmap for China using a hydrogen-adapted Energy-Sustainability-Governance-Operation (H-ESGO) framework. This framework aligns quantitative targets with key actions over a long-term horizon, providing a balanced techno-centric perspective on scaling hydrogen supply chains and system integration synergies. For China, the findings show a roadmap to overcome strategic shortcomings by taking immediate action with decentralized hydrogen production. This is significant for guiding future policy and practical steps towards a low-carbon hydrogen economy.