March 22 23 — Hosted at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, the China Development Forum 2026 was themed “China in its 15th Five Year Plan Period: Advancing High Quality Development and Creating New Opportunities Together”. Participants conducted in depth discussions on macroeconomic policies, economic growth, green transition and other issues of global concern. Morten Wierod, CEO of ABB Group, attended the forum and delivered a speech at the special session “Global Green Low Carbon Transition and Sustainable Development”. He shared how ABB empowers sustainable development across China and the world through the integration of electrification, automation and artificial intelligence (AI).
In his keynote address, Morten Wierod pointed out that China’s leadership and remarkable achievements in global green transition are encouraging. China has built the world’s largest and fastest growing renewable energy system, with renewables accounting for over 60% of total installed power generation capacity. Impressive progress has also been made in new energy storage and green computing infrastructure, laying a solid foundation for the nation’s Dual Carbon goals.
As a long term strategic partner and technology contributor to China, ABB is deeply involved in this transformation with innovative technologies. During the speech, Morten Wierod presented three green solution cases combining AI and digitalization, demonstrating how ABB enables leaner, cleaner operations for industries including manufacturing, buildings and transportation amid the green transition.
Yangzhong Zero Carbon Park: Smart Energy Management Drives Green Transition
Teamed up with Jiangsu Haihang Electric Technology, ABB has delivered Yangzhong’s first zero carbon park project. Powered by ABB’s “AI + Power” solution, the park’s smart energy management system acts as a “smart brain”, deeply integrating photovoltaic power generation, energy storage, charging piles and building integrated photovoltaic storage direct flex technologies. It realizes global optimized energy dispatching, with clean energy covering 90% of the park’s total power consumption and greatly advancing zero carbon operation targets.
Qingdao Special Steel: Smart Manufacturing Cuts Costs and Boosts Efficiency for Steel Industry
According to the International Energy Agency, the steel industry accounts for around 7% of global CO₂ emissions, making efficiency improvement an urgent priority. ABB has provided Qingdao Special Steel with a smart manufacturing solution integrating digital twin, data analytics and a security management platform to achieve real time collection and centralized control of full process data. Leveraging AI powered equipment condition forecasting and data analysis, customers can anticipate equipment faults in advance and optimize energy consumption, delivering tangible energy savings and cost reduction.
Maritime Sector: Motion Control Solutions Accelerate Shipping Decarbonization
In the maritime industry, ABB motion control solutions help vessels improve energy efficiency while lowering fuel costs and emissions. ABB permanent magnet shaft generators feature a compact design that reduces system installation space by approximately 20%, and can cut vessel fuel costs by up to 4%. This fully validates the philosophy that “the greenest energy is the energy saved”.
ABB advances green transition along three core pathways. First, boosting efficiency: high efficiency motors, variable speed drives and industrial software help customers generate more output with fewer inputs. Second, accelerating electrification: replacing fossil fuels with clean electricity to lay a zero emission foundation for industrial processes and power systems. Third, ensuring safety and reliability: technical solutions monitor and prevent greenhouse gas leaks to safeguard environmental and asset integrity.
“Only through continuous innovation and cross industry collaboration can we break boundaries. Let us move forward hand in hand: forge ahead on the journey of green transition, accelerate high quality development, and build a prosperous and sustainable future,” said Morten Wierod. As China is ABB’s second largest global market, ABB will keep focusing on local growth needs and seize policy and market opportunities brought by China’s Dual Carbon goals with innovative technologies.
This year marks the start of the 15th Five Year Plan, and the China Development Forum continues to serve as a key platform for dialogue with the world and pursuit of common development. ABB has participated in the forum consecutively since 2013. Drawing on its global technology expertise and deep local roots, ABB keeps offering insights for sustainable development, industrial upgrading and technological innovation, honouring its long standing commitment of “In China, For China”.
Organized by the Development Research Center of the State Council and executed by the China Development Research Foundation, the China Development Forum was first held in 2000. Adhering to the mission of “Dialogue with the World, Seek Common Development”, it has established its reputation as a professional, high level platform for dialogue among senior Chinese government officials, global business leaders, international organizations and Chinese and foreign scholars.
ABB leverages electrification and automation technologies to empower a sustainable, efficient future. By combining engineering expertise and digital technologies, ABB helps industries improve energy and production efficiency to deliver outstanding outcomes. With a heritage spanning over 140 years, ABB employs around 110 000 people worldwide. In China, ABB runs full fledged businesses covering R&D, manufacturing, sales and engineering services. It operates 30 local entities with 14 000 employees across more than 100 cities.
