Anshan turns to surplus heat from coal

Niels B. Christiansen, CEO of Danfoss, said the company is looking to expand its experiences in Anshan throughout China.

"The great ambition among Chinese leaders is one of the main reasons why today we have some of our most highlighted energy efficiency cases in China," said Christiansen.

Danfoss first came to China almost 20 years ago. The Danfoss Group is a global company, whose main products and services include refrigeration, air conditioning, the control of electric motors, cooling and heating for buildings and renewable energy. The company is active in the solar and wind power industries as well as in constructing heating and cooling infrastructure for cities and urban communities.

The Danfoss CEO said the Chinese government has put great emphasis on long-term sustainable growth.

"I think that matters, and we are the kind of company that wants to see long-term growth with sustainability. I think that's fundamentally important," said Christiansen. "What I've heard is that growth in China will be a bit lower, but that the quality of growth will be higher. I think that's very wise."

He said Danfoss sees China as an important market and is planning to invest more in the country, the third-largest market for the company in the world. Among countries where Danfoss has established a presence, China has the second-highest number of employees and is its largest sourcing market.

Christiansen says it's encouraging to see that in the last year of China's 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15), the country is aiming to accelerate urbanization sustainably.

"This is a very good match for our ambitions as a company: To help the world, and certainly China, and make more with less in areas such as food, energy, infrastructure and the environment," said Christiansen.

He adds that China has been efficient in tackling these issues, though the country "knows how to do better".

"In some of the areas that we have talked, you can say China can learn," he said.

"The improved awareness will also bring opportunities for companies like us. That's why I think it's very positive," said Christiansen, who travels to China at least three times a year.

His suggestion for China in improving how it tackles climate change is to better manage the waste produced by a city and develop technologies that can recycle the waste into useful resources.

"Those are the type of things we can do," he said.

According to Christiansen, Danfoss has been pushing for innovation in China for several years, and in the past three to five years, government officials have spoken more fervently about the transfer of high technology.

"Now I think that fits well," he said.

Liu Jia contributed to this story.