In June 2017, President Trump announced the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. Global temperatures are expected to rise a total of three to six degrees Celsius by 2100. Greenhouse gases increased 39.9 per cent from 1990 to 2016. Today, solar and wind energy are the least expensive energy sources. In 2016, renewables accounted for an estimated 62 per cent of net additions to global power generating capacity, which means the power capacity added from renewable sources exceeded (net) capacity from all fossil fuels combined. With these five findings in mind, this thesis seeks to compare the Chinese and German energy transition systems with a special focus on the legal frameworks promoting the expansion of renewable energy (in particular, wind and photovoltaic). It will start by examining the international legal background, which shapes and guides the respective national efforts. In the next section, the thesis will take a more in-depth look at the energy laws and policies of China and Germany, in particular China’s Renewable Energy Law and Germany’s Renewable Energy Act. It will present the relative procurement instruments as well as other important market mechanisms aiming to support renewable energies. The final section will compare and contrast the related goals of the policies, the legislative framework and the law to provide insight into the most effective aspects of each policy.