Investing in China has become a 'must-have' option

In the first quarter of this year, China's GDP grew by 4.5% year-on-year, achieving a good start. The steady recovery and upward trend have further strengthened the confidence of foreign investment in China.
Tesla has announced the construction of a new energy storage super factory in Shanghai, Airbus has decided to build a second production line in Tianjin, and the construction of Heraeus' new high-purity quartz product factory in Shenyang is progressing at full speed... Since the beginning of the year, foreign large projects have been continuously signed, and investing in China continues to be a "necessary option" for multinational companies.
This is one of the fastest growing markets in the world
Hello, Beijing. I'm back again! "Kang Linsong, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mercedes Benz Group, said on social media recently. On April 18th, the 20th Shanghai International Auto Industry Exhibition, the world's first A-level auto show in 2023, kicked off, with multiple multinational car executives arriving in China from around the world several days in advance.
Not only in the automotive industry, executives from globally renowned multinational corporations have come to China: Pfizer Chairman and CEO Eberler, Apple CEO Cook, Allianz Chairman Bate, Intel CEO Pat Gersinger... Foreign companies are actively seeking opportunities in China.
Investing in China, big projects continue to be launched.
On April 6th, Airbus signed multiple new cooperation agreements with its Chinese aviation industry partners. According to the agreement, Airbus will build a second production line in Tianjin to expand the final assembly capacity of the A320 series aircraft. On April 14th, Airbus announced the opening of its China R&D center in Suzhou. The center will leverage the advantages of the aviation and hydrogen industry chain in the Yangtze River Delta region, focusing on the research and development of new technologies in areas such as hydrogen infrastructure, electrification, and cabin experience.
According to Xu Gang, Airbus Global Executive Vice President and CEO of Airbus China, Airbus predicts that the average annual growth rate of China's air transportation volume will reach 5.3% in the next 20 years, significantly higher than the world average of 3.6%. This is one of the fastest growing markets in the world, "Xu Gang told our reporter.
Aiming at the new track, large enterprises are vying to "race".
Recently, outside the sixth ring road in the southeast of Beijing, the metal framework of the new factory has been erected, and the research and development building has also grown out of the ground. Originally, the Toyota fuel cell R&D and production project has been located in the Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, and will be completed by the end of the year and put into operation next year.
In China, the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle market, mainly composed of commercial vehicles, is rapidly developing. Next spring, the first hydrogen fuel cell system dedicated factory built outside of Japan will be put into operation in Beijing. Toyota will continue to expand its circle of friends in the field of commercial and passenger vehicles, and work with like-minded Chinese enterprises to promote the construction of the hydrogen energy industry. "The relevant person in charge of Toyota China said.
In the first two months of this year, the actual amount of foreign investment used nationwide was 268.44 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6.1%, among which the actual use of foreign investment in high-tech industries increased by 32%. Liaoning University President Yu Miaojie believes that China's super large market has always provided stable demand for the world economy, which will attract more foreign enterprises to take root in China and seek development.
China has the most complete industrial system in the world
In addition to the vast market, another important reason for multinational corporations to invest heavily in China is the strong foundation and resilience of China's industrial system.
The PMI of the manufacturing industry has been in the boom zone for three consecutive months, with the production of green products such as new energy vehicles and solar cells maintaining double-digit growth. The investment in the national high-tech manufacturing industry increased by 15.2%... In the first quarter, China's industrial chain supply chain accelerated recovery, and the support role of the equipment manufacturing industry was obvious.
Foreign businesses see the resilience of China's economy. Nicolas Menguan, Chief Operating Officer of North Asia at Louis Dreyfus Group, said in an interview with our reporter that people can see from the economic data of the first quarter that China continues to demonstrate great resilience and potential in the challenging global economy.
The Guangzhou Fuling Food Industrial Park, a joint venture between us and the Chinese side, is expected to be completed and put into operation in the second half of this year. The project will involve various emerging fields such as feed protein processing and plant clean energy production. Nicolas Mengguan said that developing together with China is a key opportunity that foreign companies must seize.
Foreign investors are optimistic about the prospects of China's economy. In March of this year, we announced the establishment of L'Oreal China's high-end cosmetics intelligent operation center in Nantong. The project plans to cover an area of approximately 45000 square meters and will be equipped with world leading logistics and robotics technology. This is L'Oreal China's first investment in the next 25 years, "said Fei Borui, President of L'Oreal North Asia and CEO of China
Fabry said that the performance of the Chinese economy in the first quarter made L'Oreal believe that the Chinese beauty market will continue to grow. Especially with the rapid development of China's digital economy and continuous improvement of industrial level, it is expected that intelligent operation centers will play a greater synergistic role and provide strong support for enterprises to better serve Chinese consumers.
China has the most complete industrial system in the world and is an important participant and maintainer of the global industrial and supply chains, and will continue to play an important role in the global supply and value chains, "said Chen Xudong, Chairman and General Manager of IBM Greater China.
The continuous optimization of the business environment has boosted our confidence in investing in China
Investing in China has become a "must-have" option, and foreign investment also values the business environment in China.
The continuous optimization of the business environment has boosted our confidence in investing in China. Despite the uncertainties in the world economy, CJ's optimistic attitude towards the Chinese market has remained unchanged, "said Yoon Dawon, President of CJ Group in China and President of the Korean Chamber of Commerce in China.
China's series of practical measures to expand its opening-up and optimize its business environment are bearing fruit.
Significant opening-up policies have achieved effective results. Shortly after the China Securities Regulatory Commission lifted the proportion limit on foreign shareholding in securities companies, Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited submitted an application to establish a securities company. In January of this year, the application was approved. At present, the preparation work of Standard Chartered Securities is being promoted simultaneously from three aspects: personnel, system, and system, striving to open its business as soon as possible.
The proactive front service has received good feedback. This year, Yiwu, Zhejiang Province launched 10 measures to optimize the international business environment and provide foreign-related services, covering areas such as convenient work and residence, foreign production and operation, and foreign-related legal services. As of mid March, Yiwu has established a total of 181 new foreign-funded companies this year, a year-on-year increase of 123%.
The development prospects of foreign enterprises in China are improving. Zhuge Wenjing, Executive Vice Chairman of Pros China, stated that China, which continuously optimizes its business environment and improves its openness, has given enterprises more confidence in investing in China. In January of this year, the second phase of Plos Linfang Songjiang Logistics Park began construction; In February, Pros and its Chinese partners jointly established Xinghang Pros (Beijing) Enterprise Operation Management Co., Ltd. to serve the industrial development of Daxing Airport Airport Airport Economic Zone. Next, Pros will continue to work hard to serve the high-quality development of China's economy, "she said.
A recent Reuters article pointed out that many multinational companies have increased their investment in China this year, which is a strong proof of China's commitment to opening up to the outside world. The article argues that "some 'decoupling' statements are being drowned out" because multinational corporations are achieving operating profits in China and want to make more money.
Only when the world is good can China be good; China is good, the world is better. Invest in China and build more win-win bridges that make everyone better and better.
(Reporter Wang Junling from this newspaper)