MNCs keen to grow amid further opening-up

Q3 China's top policymakers have pledged greater efforts to attract foreign capital, widen market access, promote further opening-up of modern service industries and ensure a level playing field for both domestic and foreign companies. In this context, what measures do you expect this year? Will you draw up new plans for investment, hiring and business expansion in China?

XU: During the past three years, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Airbus has continued to enhance and expand its cooperation with Chinese partners while upholding a "local for local" strategy to build a vertical integration supply chain in China. In response to Airbus' latest plan of recruiting more than 13,000 people globally in 2023, we will continue to welcome professionals as well as new graduates to join Airbus China.

As for the next steps this year, with booming demand for air transport globally, Airbus will focus on its industrial ramping up. With China's COVID-19 policy changes, it will no doubt become an indispensable contributor to this process.

WU: We believe that the government will take more effective measures to further open up the domestic market, remove access barriers and level the playing field for foreign businesses and investors this year. What's more, we launched BCG X last year, a hybrid tech build & design unit that brings together nearly 3,000 technicians, builders and designers.

In 2023, we will promote BCG X in China to a wider audience to offer our Chinese clients a unique toolbox for accelerating digital transformation as well as tech and business innovation. We will keep working closely with companies, ecosystem players as well as research institutes in China. We look forward to building a more sustainable future in China and across the region by working together with our clients and partners.

JUANG: The government initiatives of high-level opening-up, promoting green development and boosting global cooperation have reflected China's commitment to keeping pace with the global economy and benefiting its citizens. We expect more policies to be announced this year to foster an even more robust and conducive business environment. Our China operations remain critical to HP and we will continue to strengthen our business here by driving innovation for our customers, developing a strong pool of local talent, as well as forging new partnerships with local enterprises and communities.

CHUNG: Nippon Paint will start construction on its new headquarters and Asia-Pacific R&D center in Shanghai in 2023. In the next few years, Nippon Paint plans to build a production base in Shanghai Pudong New Area featuring a product packaging production line and storage facilities, inspection center, R&D center, innovation center, customer experience center and product display center to achieve breakthroughs in green product development and innovative technologies. The integration of intelligent manufacturing will accelerate the digitalization and the process of new industrialization of Nippon Paint, and greatly promote the innovation of coatings technology and new product launches.

LECLERC: The positive signs of market recovery and opening-up have given us more confidence to continue investing and further grow our business. Over the past 44 years, the Coca-Cola China System has invested over $13 billion and established a total of 46 plants in China.