Editor's Note: The China International Import Expo draws global corporate giants, world trade leaders and up-and-coming stars in business and commerce. As the expo launches its fifth edition this year, China Daily spoke to senior executives of multinational corporations who have participated in the event for five straight years, presenting their views on the CIIE's role in boosting global economic recovery from COVID-19.
Q1: For the fifth straight year, your company is participating in the annual CIIE this November. Why is the event so important to you? What are your expectations this year?
Q2: Is there any added significance to the CIIE in the context of the downward pressures on the global economy brought by the COVID-19 pandemic and its softening effect on global demand?
Q3: China has been striving to increase imports to support manufacturers and producers in other economies. The country has also continuously opened its markets and economy to foreign investors and foreign companies. Overall, what do you think are China's contributions to the world?
Q4: Your company operates in a certain industry. What prospects does that industry currently have in China? And what's the biggest opportunity for your company as the country pursues high-quality development?
Q5: What's your view on China's current level of opening-up? How can high-standard opening-up be made even more effective in the future?
A1 Danone has participated in the CIIE for five years in a row and has achieved significant progress leveraging this unique platform, introducing more than 70 new products to China in a faster manner.
In addition, the in-depth consumer insights received at the CIIE facilitated our investment in one research center and two plants to support innovation and production in China. Over the past five years, we launched more than 10 new propositions that are innovated in China and made in China. We have also developed nearly 10 innovative digital tools now serving over 1.5 million users.
A2 The fifth CIIE is the first major international exhibition since the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which ended on Oct 22, showing China's strong commitment to opening-up. It is sending an unchanged signal to the world that foreign investment remains crucial for China's economy and that China will continue to improve the business environment for foreign companies.
The CIIE remains a vital platform for domestic and international circulation. On the one hand, it serves as a fantastic launchpad for foreign companies like Danone to bring in innovations, turning "exhibits" into "commodities" in a faster manner. On the other hand, the CIIE also helps boost domestic consumption by connecting overseas and domestic markets. All of this will benefit the further recovery of global demand.
A3 China's opening-up has achieved significant progress over the past decades, especially in the last 10 years. China has developed into the world's biggest country of foreign trade and second-largest consumption market since 2018. Moreover, China has become the biggest growth engine with huge contributions to global economic growth.
Danone has benefited from China's opening-up over the past decade. China has become the second-largest market contributing 10 percent of Danone's global revenue, doubling over the last decade.
A4 China boasts a booming consumer market, and Danone has achieved competitive and sustainable growth benefiting from this dynamic market.
Danone remains confident in the great potential of China's consumption market. It is a sizable market with 20 percent of the world's population, and consumers are hungry for innovation, which creates opportunities for added value propositions. What's more, we have seen rising demand for segmented health needs. Therefore, Danone will continue to bring in the most advanced products globally to meet such demand.
A5 China's opening-up policies facilitate the continuous optimization of its business environment, boosting the development of foreign companies. We have witnessed the ever-evolving laws and regulations, ever-widening market access and ever-upgrading infrastructure and supply chains.
Right after the conclusion of the 20th CPC National Congress, the National Development and Reform Commission rolled out policies encouraging foreign investment in key industries including advanced manufacturing and green technologies, where Danone can bring added value. We are deeply impressed by China's firm commitment to opening-up, and we are looking forward to the roll-out of more opening-up initiatives in the future.
A1 As the world's first import-themed national exhibition, the CIIE is an open, win-win platform. It is the ideal platform for new product and service launches and a cutting-edge technology showcase. Leveraging this platform, more exhibits have been transformed into products, which enter millions of households in China. The CIIE also provides important opportunities for multinational companies like Ikea, which are committed to long-term development in China, to showcase their expertise and communicate with key Chinese stakeholders.
This is Ikea's fifth consecutive year participating in the event. We look forward to communicating with more stakeholders and introducing our innovative and inspiring products to more consumers to create a better everyday life.
A2 The CIIE is valuable against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and political impacts on the global economy this year. It reflects China's willingness to further open up and make the Chinese market a shared, diverse and more inclusive space, which also strengthens Ikea's confidence in the Chinese market.
The pandemic is changing the world, which profoundly underscores the importance of people's living conditions. We've learned that Chinese consumers spend more time at home, expect more value from home and expect to contribute more value to society and the planet. The CIIE, as a platform that provides exhibitors with the opportunity to communicate directly with various stakeholders, also enables Ikea to communicate with Chinese consumers about what we have learned and developed from their emerging "life at home" insights.
A3 At a time when uncertainties such as the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitics continue to affect the global economy, China's proactive opening-up to maintain the stability of the global industrial chain is of great significance and importance in safeguarding the stable development of the global economy.
A4 China is one of our most important strategic markets. With its growing economy and increasing urbanization levels, we are confident in the potential of the Chinese home furnishing market and committed to long-term growth in China. We hope to work with our Chinese partners to respond to new opportunities and we will also contribute to improve the everyday lives of Chinese people with our expertise and knowledge in home furnishings.
A5 As an enterprise, we perceive China's determination to further open up and to make the Chinese market a shared, open, diverse and more inclusive one by hosting the CIIE, which plays an important role in promoting international trade and investment, communication between people, openness and cooperation.
High-level opening-up also refers to introducing climate-friendly technologies, absorbing foreign investment that meets environmental protection standards, and developing green trade and green industries, which will help drive green economic development. Ikea continues to focus on sustainable development at this CIIE, displaying a series of sustainable products, sharing experiences in sustainable development and discussing sustainable topics to show Chinese consumers more possibilities of a green life at home.
A1 The China International Import Expo is a fantastic platform to showcase our broad snacking portfolio that goes well beyond what we market to our consumers in China today. It also provides a platform for people to exchange views, learn from each other, and trigger business opportunities. The consumer insights we generate at the CIIE can inspire us with new ideas to innovate for next-generation snacks. In that sense, the expo helps serve our company's purpose: empowering people to snack right.
A2 Despite all the challenges and uncertainties during the time of the pandemic, we are optimistic about China's economic growth and believe the importance of the Chinese market will further grow. The CIIE is an uplifting message to the world economy and a vital platform to showcase our products from all over the world.
A3 We believe that China will carry this momentum in 2022 and beyond by providing a favorable and stable overall investment environment for foreign investors. China's promise to continuously expand the middle-income group, combined with increasing spending power in lower-tier cities, both give us strong confidence in the country's consumer market.
We've built up one of our nine global Research, Development & Quality Technical Centers in Suzhou, Jiangsu province. We introduce world-leading products to China and at the same time, bring proven domestic products to other markets as well.
A4 China's market is of key strategic importance for Mondelez, which represents immense future growth potential. We have a strong brand portfolio, including both global iconic brands and local jewels, to serve consumers' evolving snacking needs. To better satisfy Chinese consumers' snacking repertoire, imports of popular snacks from our global network are a good approach to meet the fast-changing needs of Chinese consumers, from indulgence to well-being, from fulfillment to characteristics.
Nowadays, it is worth mentioning that more and more Chinese consumers are also paying active attention to the impact that snacks have on the environment. As a company committed to empowering people to snack right, we are closely listening to these needs and trends to provide our Chinese consumers with the right products.
A5 The CIIE presents China's promises of opening-up, and we believe China will continue to open up for foreign investments and provide a more favorable environment for them.
To further leverage the national platform and seize new opportunities, a series of innovative patterns for high-quality development is expected, which will allow us to give full play to our advantages and business potential based on the requirements of development nationwide, by joining hands with local partners, customers and related government institutions.
A1 The CIIE has helped us embark on another development trajectory and has contributed to the substantial growth of all our businesses. Now, China's contribution to Fonterra's global business, both in terms of volume and value, has increased to over one-third. We are grateful for high-profile platforms like the CIIE where we can showcase our brands, products and values as a whole to various stakeholders all at the same time.
Having witnessed and enjoyed the great spillover effect in the past five years, we are looking forward to this year's CIIE to demonstrate more sustainability initiatives, local collaboration and products that we bring to the dairy industry in China.
A2 Organizing an international event like the CIIE for five consecutive years in the context of the downward pressures in the world economy brought by the ongoing COVID-19 is a strong testament to the resilient stand the Chinese government has taken to support open trade and to expand domestic demand. It is a positive signal for foreign companies to do business in China. The CIIE is an ideal platform for Fonterra to showcase our brand-new products, ideas and services, and to deeply engage with our stakeholders and customers. We appreciate the opportunities that the platform has provided over the past five years.
A3 We think China is playing a crucial role in international trade. The country is now New Zealand's largest trading partner.
China's continuous support of free trade allows New Zealand-based export-dependent businesses like ours to expand in China. The CIIE has offered an open platform for Fonterra to better engage with our trading partners. Fonterra's cooperation deals made at the CIIE this year are expected to be five times more compared to the first year, which lays a solid foundation for Fonterra's substantial growth in the Chinese market.
A4 China is now one of the largest dairy markets in the world. For Fonterra, China is one of our most important strategic markets, accounting for approximately one-third of our total exports. We expect to see further market growth as people's disposable incomes and spending on health products, such as dairy, increase, especially with more awareness of the goodness of dairy following COVID-19.
Therefore, we believe there is great potential in the Chinese dairy market and Fonterra will continue to bring high-quality dairy products from New Zealand, continuously creating new high-function, fit-for-purpose dairy ingredients and service solutions that meet the demands of our clients and benefit the health and wellness of Chinese consumers.
A5 China's current level of opening-up has offered strong support to transnational businesses in terms of huge market scale, support for the rule of law, clear policies and procedures, and the government's efforts to streamline processes. The country's support for open trade comes at an important time for global supply chains, which are experiencing a period of fragility, disruption and delays. Higher-level opening-up can help to reduce such uncertainty by creating consistency for exporters, importers and businesses throughout the country.
A1 Today, there are around 600 million people in China affected by poor and uncorrected vision. We exist to bring vision care to those in need and accelerate our company mission to help people see more, and be more. As the world's largest import fair, the CIIE is the ideal place for us to showcase our innovations and technologies, and raise awareness of the importance of good vision in China.
As an "old friend" of the CIIE, we enjoy its far-reaching impact. Its reputation means we can solicit a lot of valuable feedback as well as reach out and engage with many people. This year, we focus on showcasing our latest innovations aimed at safeguarding the full-lifecycle vision of Chinese people.
A2 The world faces unprecedented challenges today, making global cooperation more important than ever before. By hosting the CIIE, China is playing a leading role and demonstrating its commitment to opening-up and promoting free trade. For foreign enterprises, this year's CIIE also showcases China's economic resilience and potential, having achieved much progress in the fight against COVID-19. This will further enhance our confidence in and commitment to the Chinese market.
Against this backdrop, EssilorLuxottica is fully committed to the Chinese market and accelerating our pace in the delivery of more cutting-edge innovations to consumers and partners in the country.
A3 According to the World Bank WDI database, China's contribution to global economic growth averaged 38.6 percent from 2013 to 2021, making it the largest contributor worldwide. China is a market not only with great potential, but also offering significant learning opportunities. In China, we have gained valuable experience and knowledge that will continue to shape the development of our global business.
A4 Since around 600 million people in China are affected by poor and uncorrected vision, we see substantial needs in China's eye care and eyewear industry, driven in part by increased consumer awareness of vision care and the changing lifestyles of Chinese consumers.
The 14th Five-Year National Eye Health Plan (2021-25) launched by the National Health Commission has identified the need to further build a high-quality and efficient eye health service system. On this front, we see opportunities to enhance the industry so that we can better protect the full-lifecycle vision. This can be achieved through closer collaboration with our industry partners and proactively pursuing innovation pathways for talent, products and service situations.
A5 We are glad to see China has reaffirmed its commitment to high-level opening-up at the recent 20th CPC National Congress and believe it will create more opportunities in the future. Since entering the Chinese market in the 1990s, we've grown tremendously alongside the rising Chinese economy. Today, EssilorLuxottica has over 20,000 employees, over 1,000 retail stores, two R&D centers and four production bases in Shanghai, Dongguan in Guangdong province, Danyang in Jiangsu province, and Xiamen in Fujian province.
Looking ahead, we will further invest in developing all vision-related product categories and aspire to lead each channel as dedicated vision advocates, passionate awareness campaigners and innovative eyewear pioneers.
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