Swiss specialty chemicals company Clariant is intensifying its investment and collaboration efforts in China, capitalizing on the country’s shift toward innovation-driven growth in sectors such as advanced materials, renewable energy, and digital manufacturing. The announcement came during the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026 held in Dalian, Liaoning province.
Conrad Keijzer, Clariant’s CEO, underscored China’s transformation from a traditional manufacturing hub into a leading center for industrial innovation. He noted that China currently produces 46 percent of the world’s chemicals, surpassing combined outputs from the United States and Europe. According to Keijzer, China is at the forefront of developments in battery technologies, renewable energy solutions, and AI-enabled manufacturing processes.
Keijzer emphasized that global industrial innovation is no longer a one-way flow from Western countries to others, but a dynamic two-way exchange. He highlighted the importance of international partnerships in addressing large-scale challenges such as the green energy transition, stating that no single country can manage the shift alone.
In line with this perspective, Clariant has invested over 300 million euros (approximately $342 million) in upgrading nine manufacturing sites across China and launching a high-level research and development center in Shanghai. These investments aim to produce advanced chemical solutions supporting various downstream industries and contribute to China’s goals for sustainable economic growth and energy transformation.
Domestic industry leaders have expressed a similarly optimistic view. Fu Xiangsheng, vice-president of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, pointed to significant capital flows into green technologies and circular economy initiatives within China’s petrochemical sector. Fu highlighted the size of China’s domestic market as a stabilizing force amid global economic uncertainties and noted that its integrated industrial ecosystem plays a key role in the global petrochemical supply chain.
The combination of strong internal demand and comprehensive industrial infrastructure enables Chinese companies to scale up pilot projects in clean energy and expand production of high-value advanced materials rapidly. This ecosystem also facilitates the faster commercialization of sustainable innovations crucial to the country’s decarbonization objectives.
Keijzer called for enhanced policy measures in China to support this momentum, including the establishment of a national green methanol standard and stronger intellectual property protections to deepen global technology cooperation. He argued that creating effective ecosystems, policies, and partnerships is vital to accelerating the application of innovations from concept to industrial scale, thereby shaping the future trajectory of the chemical industry.