China's unwavering green policy push, standing in sharp contrast to wavering global climate pledges, gives foreign companies the confidence to make long-term business investments in the country, according to Ester Baiget, co-chair of Summer Davos 2026.
The World Economic Forum's 17th Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also known as the Summer Davos Forum, opened on Tuesday in Dalian, a port city in northeast China's Liaoning Province.
A central question at this year's forum is whether the energy and climate transition can genuinely drive competitiveness rather than be a cost burden. Baiget, also president and CEO of the Danish biotech firm Novonesis, said that her company operates at precisely that crossroads, applying the solutions offered by emerging technologies to carry out green yet profitable ventures.
"We can now do with AI, with advanced engineering, with the extraordinary improvements there have been in technology, we can take CO2 captured by plants and take that biomass and transform it into value-added solutions. This is what we do in Novonesis. We know that there is a stronger answer of the future, and we're doubling up on our investments. Within the last years since 2018, we have reduced our CO2 emissions more than 60 percent, and at the same time we have increased revenue more than 30 percent. So, we're showing that there is a way, that is possible that you can decouple from fossil while continuing to move fast forward bolder to the future of reliable and competitive paths," Baiget said.
Many of these technologies rely on work and research being done in China. With three decades of presence in the country, Baiget emphasized that its real draw lies in the robust innovation ecosystem.
"Of what we see in China, it's not only the demand. It's the network with universities, with local players. It's the speed, it's the agility that makes it precious to be here. We're very very excited about the future ahead, not only from the legacy of what we have been producing and the input in China, but also new opportunities that are emerging. We see new growth potential opportunities in spaces like plastic recycling, enzymatically decoupling PET into the building blocks. We are not moving into farming. We are not farmers. But yes, we can be an enabler of helping farmers to produce more with less, which is exactly our mode of strategy," Baiget said.
At a time when some major economies are stepping back from their climate pledges, China is charting a different course. The country's first ecological and environmental code, set to take effect this August, underscores its firm commitment to the green transition.
For Baiget, this consistent green policy certainty in China, built on a "firm narrative of change", fuels long-term business investment.
"I want to echo and applaud what you just mentioned on China, on the consistency and the value of a firm narrative of change. It gives guaranteed reliable demand, and it gives companies like ours the commitment to continue to invest in that future. Because when you have predictability on demand, you're just going to double up on investments, on innovation," Baiget said.
China's green policy stability boosts long-term foreign investment: Novonesis CEO
