China heralded a new era for the emerging markets when it announced its $600 billion domestic economic stimulus package. Amongst the spending plans is the Hubei Province project to construct nine "eco-cities" as part of a nationwide focus on "energy conservation and environmental protection."

China's stimulus package will change the world. Their commitment to green initiatives confirms that green energy investment in the country may be the biggest economic opportunity of this century. And while big names such as General Electric, Caterpillar and even ExxonMobil  stand to benefit,  a number of small  companies will profit as well.

The China State Environmental Protection Agency estimated that investment in environmental protection would top $160 billion during the current five-year period (2006-2010). What's more, the country's enormous trade surplus, significant construction plans, and new focus on green initiatives have the potential to turn the country into the world's largest marketplace for clean technology. That's good for the environment, but even better for investors is that there are no state-owned companies operating in the space. So unlike most commercial niches in China, where behemoths both dominate and are protected, the government will be welcoming to foreign companies in a rapidly growing space.

Manufactures of air-pollution reduction systems and Wind power have a particularly bright future because China faces a 10-gigawatt energy shortage this year and already plans to build the equivalent of one coal power plant per week over the next decade.
The key to taking advantage of this enormous economic opportunity is to focus on quality. GE China CEO Steve Bertamini told Fortune, "The Chinese will lead the way in these technologies just because they have to."