David Seapy

A remarkly self-reflective and clear-eyed speech from CATL chairman Zeng Yuqun on the status + challenges facing China’s lithium battery industry: “Genuine innovation in the industry is still far from sufficient. Many companies make only minor tweaks, while even more focus solely on short-term gains, chasing quick profits or sinking into bottomless price wars rather than investing in R&D and quality.” 行业里真正的创新还远远不够。很多企业有一些微创新，但更多的是只顾眼前，只想赚点快钱，或是陷入无底线的价格内卷，不愿意在研发和质量上下功夫。 “But we’re not only locked in involution at home, we’re exporting it abroad. This year in several major markets in Europe, the United States, and the Middle East, competition among Chinese firms has been especially fierce, particularly in large GWh-scale projects. Some companies have slashed prices by 30% below normal levels while promising battery lifetimes 50% longer.” 但是我们不仅卷国内，还卷到国外。今年欧美和中东的一些主要市场，中国企业竞争尤为激烈，尤其在GWh级别的大项目上。部分企业直接在正常价格降价30%，承诺寿命增加50%。 “China’s lithium-battery industry has already become number one in the world. It’s time to think about how to move toward high-quality development. That’s why I’m standing here today, and it’s something I’ve discussed with many leaders: we must establish strong industry self-discipline and commit to long-termism. Only by doing so can we build a lithium-battery sector that not only rises, but rises with integrity.” 中国锂电产业发展到今天，已经做到了世界第一。是时候想一想怎么推进高质量发展。所以今天我站在这里，想跟大家说一句话，我也跟很多领导谈过：建立高度的行业自律，坚持长期主义。做到这一点，我们才能建成一个不仅向上而且向善的锂电产业。 “I recently visited Korea and several other countries and found that they are throwing their full weight behind innovation, focusing intensely on truly disruptive breakthroughs. If we continue repeating the old model of ‘expand capacity and make a bit more money,’ then in the next 15 years we may be unable to maintain China’s competitive edge in lithium batteries, nor uphold our responsibility in the global energy transition.” 我最近去韩国等国家跑了一圈，发现他们铆足了劲做创新，专注做很多颠覆性的创新。如果我们重复“扩大规模、再赚多一点”这样的模式，那么可能在以后的15年守不住中国锂电池产业的竞争优势，也守不住肩上能源转型的重任。 “China’s lithium-battery industry should not only be the world’s number one, it should become the 2.0 version of number one: the global leader in high-quality development, one that earns the world’s respect.” 中国锂电产业不仅要做到世界第一，还要做到2.0版的世界第一，即高质量发展的世界第一。要让全世界尊重。