'Dual circulation' to boost growth (III)

A1: While 2020 has been an unprecedented year, with numerous business challenges brought by the pandemic, our organizations – especially production facilities – have been operating largely uninterrupted as we continue our investment and cooperation in China.

From the beginning of the pandemic, we put our employees' health and safety as our top priority. Then we ensured business continuity that allowed us to provide patients, consumers and farmers with the products that they urgently needed.

A2: The Chinese leadership has on many occasions stressed that dual circulation is by no means a closed domestic loop, and reaffirmed that opening-up is still a fundamental national policy.

Bayer is inspired by these supportive messages. With this growth model and our corporate vision of "Health for All, Hunger for None", Bayer will continue to leverage our expertise in healthcare and agriculture, while improving Chinese people's accessibility to our high-quality products and solutions.

A3: In the past year, the government has attached great importance to stabilizing foreign investment and trade, and has implemented several policies to support foreign enterprises as they resume work and production. Bayer is extremely grateful for the efforts made by the central and local governments to boost the economy, and to help enterprises navigate emerging challenges.

A4: Due to China's decisive and powerful prevention and control measures, as well as the unremitting efforts of its people, China has achieved strategic success in pandemic control, with all aspects of society gradually returning to normal. The stable development of Chinese society guarantees Bayer's production and operation activities in the market, and has also increased our confidence and determination to further invest.

A5: The transition from rapid growth to high-quality development is an epoch-level event in China's long economic history. In this new development stage, medical care and agriculture will remain critically important. Bayer will leverage its accumulated experience in China and its global innovation resources to continue to meet its increasing and evolving needs in healthcare and food supply.

A6: Bayer is highly appreciative of the Chinese government's determination to deepen reform and open up. As the entire world faces a huge public health crisis, open cooperation is particularly important to every country's success. Bayer is very pleased to see how China continues to build a market-oriented and legitimate international business environment, and treats all types of companies equally – both domestic and foreign-owned.

Bayer is strongly positioned to be a valuable partner in China's development. For the next five-year plan, and even into the more distant future, Bayer looks forward to making a greater impact on China's next-stage goals, its new journey to fully build a modern socialist country, and shared success for both the country and Bayer.

A7: As a life sciences company, Bayer's purpose of "Science for a Better Life" and its vision of "Health for All, Hunger for None" are strategically aligned with China's national goals of Healthy China 2030 and building a comprehensively well-off society.

Bayer is committed to China, will remain in China and will continue to invest in China.