The South African who is almost Shanghainese

Q & A: 2017 'Honorable citizen' recipients

What do you feel is China's biggest achievement in the past five years? What's the most notable change you've observed?

David Preston: I think it is not one or two things, there are a number of really big achievements. It's the transformation of the economy, from the sort of supplier based industrial type of economy to a more innovative economy. I think this is one of the big changes.

I would also like to say that, especially against the light of our industry, being in the human pharma industry and animal health industry, there's been a significant upgrade and improvement on regulatory, environment, safety and guidelines on food and environmental standards. We can see that the water we drink is much better than before; the food we eat is safer than before; we can see the greening of the city, the focus on polluting industries, the reduction of pollution in the country has been dramatically addressed by the Party in all cities in China.

Larry Chan: The biggest achievement has mainly been in the quality of the lives of its citizens. The country now has one of the most advanced transportation and technology infrastructures. The service sector has provided so much convenience not available in most parts of the world. The social media landscape is strong and vibrant. Being in the food industry, we have noticed significant changes in the retail sector and how people have clearly moved from supporting daily needs toward desiring better experiences.

Which three words would you use to describe China today?

Preston: Stable, transforming and exciting.

Chan: Resilient, progressive, challenging

What's the biggest challenge China faces and how do you feel the country can go about overcoming it?

Preston: I think the biggest challenge is continue to grow. It's a big population. It needs to continue to grow like at the moment, 6 or 7 percent, to be able to drive the country. Again, the challenge is of course the speed of the transformation from the old State-owned enterprises into more modern State-owned enterprises, but also the development of robust high value private enterprises. It's a challenge. The other challenges we will face are on food, environmental and pollution issues. China is certainly very fixed on doing this and I feel happy that all the issues that need to be addressed are being dealt with currently.

Chan: Food security because as more and more of her citizens prosper, they consume more and desire better things in life. It is both a quality and supply challenge. I think this will require farmers to get a bigger share of the value in the supply chain, supported by a government managed farmer credit-rating system to ensure overall quality and compliance in the agricultural industry. It is critical that responsible farmers are aptly rewarded and that farming becomes a meaningful craft.

What's your most unforgettable experience or moment you've had in China? Or related to China?

Preston: Of course it's the birth of my two kids, who were born in China, enjoying the Chinese passport, Shanghai Hukou, and being Chinese citizens. I think these are two moments. The last one is really receiving the silver and gold Magnolia Awards in the past years and the 2017 Honorary Citizen of Shanghai Award.

Chan: My most unforgettable moment in China is when I saw my grandmother, who is a first-generation Chinese born in China and moved to the Philippines when she was very young, first visited Shanghai in 1996, already on her wheelchair, and was truly touched by the experience of seeing her grandchildren settling in the country where she was born. I could truly feel how proud she was.