Foreign tech giants sanguine on China ops

Norbert Meyring, head of industrial manufacturing and automotive sector at KPMG China, said China's focus on nurturing new quality productive forces marks a strategic shift from "scale-driven growth" to "innovation-led and sustainable development".

Despite external uncertainties such as rising trade protectionism and supply chain disruptions, Meyring said China's attractiveness to foreign businesses remains fundamentally robust, as the country's vast consumer base and integrated industrial ecosystem remain irreplaceable for companies' global business expansion, especially in advanced sectors like electric vehicles, green tech and digital services.

"Foreign firms increasingly value China's deep talent pool, advanced infrastructure and burgeoning innovation clusters for R&D and high-end manufacturing — assets harder to replicate elsewhere quickly," he said, adding that China's unique combination of scale, advanced manufacturing capabilities and innovation potential ensures it remains a strategic hub.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said China has ranked as the world's largest manufacturer for 15 consecutive years, and its manufacturing output accounts for about 30 percent of the global total.

China will hold greater appeal for foreign companies, given the nation's unwavering efforts to expand high-standard opening-up and optimize its business environment, said Zhang Jianping, deputy director of the academic committee at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.

Zhang added that the implementation of a new round of opening-up measures, such as a shortened negative list for market entry, the Foreign Investment Law and pilot free-trade zones, has created favorable conditions for foreign businesses to invest in China.

China has rapidly emerged as a global frontier for industrial innovation, presenting vast development opportunities driven by its vibrant digital economy and the development of new quality productive forces, said Chris Lee, senior vice-president and head of Asia-Pacific of industrial software developer Aveva.

Lee said China's mature and extensive industrial system and supply chain offer an unparalleled platform for technological innovation."We are fully confident in the Chinese market and will continue to increase investment in the 'in China, for China' initiatives."

Cui Jingyi, the company's vice-president and head of Aveva China, said China's designation of new quality productive forces as the core driver of high-quality development reflects the nation's forward-looking strategy toward technological innovation and industrial upgrading.

Aveva fully aligns with this direction and is actively integrating its global innovation system into China's scientific and technological advancement, she said, adding: "We aim to position China as a key global innovation hub for R&D and innovation efforts, better supporting the domestic industrial digital transformation needs."

Samantha Zhu, chairperson of Accenture Greater China, said China is a key player in the global innovation economy and is one of the leading countries in innovation.

Zhu said the policies and measures to further accelerate innovation and boost total factor productivity, expand market access in key industrial sectors and improve services will help the country deliver broad-based growth in a sustainable way.

"In particular, we can see that both foreign and Chinese companies quickly mobilize themselves to ride the latest wave of technological innovation led by AI, better create value, respond dynamically to change and build resilience," she said, adding that in the new wave of technological and business evolution, the company has been helping clients build digital maturity across their organizations, making them more agile with data and AI and bridging innovation with real impact.

fanfeifei@chinadaily.com.cn