BEIJING, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- From manufacturing expansion to innovation-driven upgrades, foreign-invested firms are scaling up their investment and positioning themselves for new opportunities in China, as the country pledges even wider, high-standard opening up in the coming years.
Last week, Swire Coca-Cola Ltd., a bottler of Coca-Cola, commenced operations at a factory in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou. With an investment of more than 900 million yuan (about 126.9 million U.S. dollars), the plant covers about 13 hectares and has an annual production capacity exceeding 1 million tonnes, serving nearly 100 million consumers in central China.
The new facility is part of the company's efforts to expand its production capacity, backed by its 12-billion-yuan, decade-long investment plan in the Chinese mainland, which was first announced in 2023. The company is set to start building a new production base in Hainan Province at the end of this year, while also preparing to launch two additional factories in Jiangsu Province and Guangdong Province in 2026.
Noting the Chinese market as an important engine driving Swire Coca-Cola's stable operations, Karen So, the company's CEO, said the new Zhengzhou factory represents the company's long-term commitment to staying rooted in the Chinese market and contributing to high-quality development.
Swire Coca-Cola exemplifies the broader story of foreign companies' robust performance in China during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025). Official data shows that foreign direct investment into China totaled 4.7 trillion yuan from 2021 to May 2025, with foreign-invested enterprises now accounting for one-third of the country's total imports and exports, contributing one-quarter of its industrial output.
Building on this solid foundation, foreign companies are now positioning themselves for the next phase of growth, as China pledges to promote high-standard opening up and create new horizons for mutually beneficial cooperation during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), according to a communique issued on Thursday after the fourth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.
China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao said Friday that the country would work to expand market access and areas of openness in the next five years and foster a transparent, stable, and predictable institutional environment to create new advantages in attracting foreign investment.
Against the backdrop of continued openness, multinational companies are not only expanding their manufacturing capacity in China but also boosting their R&D investments. They are attracted by the country's dynamic innovation landscape, world-class talent pool, and strong industrial and supply chains.
Bosch Automotive Products (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of German multinational giant Bosch Group in the eastern Chinese city of Suzhou, launched an intelligent driving control innovation project in the Suzhou Industrial Park in August. With a planned investment of 10 billion yuan over the next five years, the project will focus on the R&D of full-stack intelligent assisted driving solutions and smart cockpit hardware and software.
This investment represents another major commitment by Bosch to Suzhou, building on its 2023 establishment of an R&D and manufacturing base in the city for core components of new energy vehicles (NEVs) and automated driving.
Stephan Lampel, a senior executive of Bosch Mobility China, said that China is leading the development of intelligent driving and smart cockpit technologies, and that Bosch aims to leverage Suzhou's talent pool, innovation capabilities and industrial ecosystem to accelerate its presence in intelligent mobility.
Multinational Schneider Electric is also bolstering its R&D footprint in China. In September, the company launched its EcoFit LV Innovation Center China in Shanghai, which specializes in the adaptation and upgrading of low-voltage distribution components. The company has so far established an R&D team of over 1,500 people in Shanghai.
Schneider Electric has also been collaborating with Chinese partners to explore high-efficiency, zero-carbon solutions by integrating advanced technologies such as AI and microgrids.
Noting Shanghai and the Yangtze River Delta region as a hub for innovation, leading technologies, and open collaboration, Jean-Pascal Tricoire, chairman of Schneider Electric, noted during a recent visit to Shanghai that the company will "join hands with more Chinese partners in accelerating technological innovation and industrial transition, co-creating a greener, smarter, and more prosperous future."
Schneider Electric is not alone in deepening its integration with China's industrial ecosystem through broader local partnerships.
Roland Busch, president and CEO of Siemens AG, highlighted the German industrial giant's expanding collaboration with Chinese partners during his recent visit to China.
He said Siemens has brought over 100 partners and small and medium-sized companies from Shanghai onto its open digital business platform Siemens Xcelerator, helping them accelerate digitization and innovate with AI technology.
In September, the company also signed a cooperation agreement with partners in Shanghai to build an international carbon footprint certification exchange service platform.
"Facing the future, only cooperation can lead to win-win results," Busch said.
SOURCE/AUTHOR : XIN HUA NEWS
No third party should interfere in territory, maritime disputes: Chinese FM spokesperson
S&P Global Ratings' affirmation of China outlook reflects recognition of country's economic resilience
China aims to achieve breakthroughs in brain-computer interface technology by 2027
Rescue underway after mountain torrents leave 10 dead, 33 missing in NW China's Gansu
With independent customs operation, Hainan Free Trade Port poised to pioneer China's high-standard opening up
Xi urges all-out rescue efforts after Gansu mountain torrents cause heavy casualties
China activates Level-IV emergency response for flood control in 5 provincial-level regions
Across China: North China night market offers a cyberpunk feast for the eyes and the stomach
Think tank report highlights China's ecological governance innovation, global impact
Chinese scientists develop smart surveillance system to control mosquito-borne diseases
Letter from China: Robots take center stage at Beijing expo, pointing to tech revolution
China Focus: Paired assistance program improves access to quality health care for Xizang residents
Column: China-proposed global AI cooperation organization expected to narrow global tech gap
Factbox: China witnesses remarkable progress in data sector in 14th Five-Year Plan period
China urges Japan to be prudent on historical issues such as Yasukuni Shrine: spokesperson
Books of Xi's discourses on adhering to deepening reform comprehensively published
Chengdu World Games closes, highlighting inclusiveness, sustainability, innovation
Xinhua Headlines: Host city of 2025 World Games unfolds new vitality in opening wider to globe
Uzbek edition of "Xi Jinping: On Respecting and Protecting Human Rights" launched in Uzbekistan
China Focus: China's expanding national park system delivers breakthroughs in wildlife conservation
Xinhua Headlines: China's factories trade smoke for sustainability through green innovation
Xi urges concerted efforts for modernization when meeting representatives from across Xizang
Tourist train with elderly-friendly modifications departs from Harbin for grassland trip
Xinhua Headlines: Setting sail again from China, SCO charts course for shared future
Xinhua Headlines: Expo facilitates smart, green cooperation between China, Arab states
Update: China int'l trade representative holds talks with U.S. officials, business representatives
(V-Day) Xi Focus: Xi hails "unstoppable" national rejuvenation at V-Day commemorations
Xi Focus: Xi addresses V-Day reception, stressing justice, peace, people's strength
Commemorative stamps issued to mark 80th anniversary of victory against Japanese aggression, fascism
Xinhua Headlines: Xi makes three proposals at virtual BRICS Summit to cement solidarity, advance cooperation
Solar panels light the way to rural revitalization in China's Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
Over 2,000 exhibitors join expo highlighting vitality of China's culture, tourism industries
Sand control projects launched to improve ecological environment of Kubuqi Desert in Inner Mongolia
China Focus: 2,200-yr-old engraved stone discovery illuminates Chinese civilization on
Xinhua Commentary: Free trade, AI make China-ASEAN economic cooperation closer, more fruitful
Major Xinjiang port handles over 7,000 China-Europe freight train trips this year
SichuanMosaics | First mountain and lake circling festival of Lugu Lake kicks off in SW China's Sichuan
China's V-Day commemorations enhance confidence in advancing national rejuvenation: Xi
China's Hani terraces illustrate the Chinese philosophy of living in harmony with nature
Xinhua Headlines: Chinese commemorate outbreak of war against Japanese aggression with hopes for peace
Explainer: Why the September 18th Incident was a key event in the World Anti-Fascist War
Economic Watch: U.S. high-tech firms upbeat about manufacuture investment in China
Xinhua Headlines: Jingdezhen: China's ancient porcelain capital turns young and chic
Xi leads central delegation to Urumqi for 70th anniversary of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region
South China's Guangdong raises emergency response to highest for approaching typhoon
Xi's Album | Xi leaves for Beijing after attending celebrations for Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region's 70th founding anniversary
Xi attends grand gathering in celebration of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region's 70th founding anniversary
13th China (Mianyang) Science and Technology City Int'l High-Tech Expo opens in China's Sichuan
Xinhua Headlines: World's highest bridge opens to traffic in China's mountainous southwest
China Focus: Million-year-old skull from central China rewrites human evolution timeline
Update: China expected to handle 2.36 billion passenger trips in upcoming holiday
Update: China's water conservancy investment to exceed 5.4 trln yuan during 2021-2025 period
China Focus: Honoring WWII victory, China gains strength for national rejuvenation
GLOBALink | African attendees to internet forum seek deeper cooperation with China
China Focus: Innovative cultural tourism heats up China's eight-day holiday market
China's transportation network sees travel peak on 1st day of National Day holiday
China achieves milestone in compact fusion project with key component installation
Xinhua Headlines: From logging to guardianship: How China protects green source of its
China's 2025 box office surpasses 2024's full-year gross, with local films dominating
GLOBALink | Global insiders discuss circus arts and performance in China's circus festival
Xinhua Headlines: How small county in north China becomes magnet for global acrobats
Enhe Village in China's Inner Mongolia draws tourists with blend of Chinese-Russian culture
Tourist destinations across China see surge in visitors during National Day holiday
Economy&life | Eight-day holiday in China sees unprecedented people flows, consumption nationwide
Xinhua Headlines: Gaza conflict -- Two years of devastation and dim prospects ahead
60"FlyOverChina | Nature's red carpet unrolled: Biodiversity haven in Shandong's coastal wetlands
Xinhua Headlines: Surge in Chinese holiday travelers boosts European tourism, cultural exchanges
China logs 2.4 billion cross-regional passenger trips during holiday travel surge
Column: From Beijing to Beijing: 30 years on, the song of women's empowerment rings clearer and louder
Participants attend opening ceremony of Global Leaders' Meeting on Women in Beijing
China Focus: 2,300-year-old Chinese silk manuscripts finally return home after decades abroad
Xinhua Commentary: More joint action needed to promote women's development worldwide
Across China: Beyond the steel span -- world's highest bridge uplifting China's mountainous southwest
Economic Watch: China's core inflation hits 19-month high, signaling firmer domestic demand
Explainer: How China fosters growth, innovation amidst global uncertainties through past Five-Year Plan
Xinhua Headlines: China's economy shows stable growth trend with positive factors accumulating
Xinhua Headlines: CPC plenum concludes, adopting recommendations for China's 15th Five-Year Plan
Chinese scientists make breakthroughs in longer-lasting, safer solid-state batteries
Chinese, African experts join force to advance collaboration on food security, agricultural modernization
Xinhua Headlines: Charting a new chapter for Asia-Pacific development through unity, responsibility
Economic Watch: FAW-Volkswagen marks 30 millionth car as China's auto confidence grows
Xi says China ready to work with Japan to build constructive, stable bilateral relations
Xi says China ready to strengthen synergy of development strategies with Thailand, share development experience in new era
Three Gorges project generates over 423 bln kWh of electricity in past five years
GLOBALink | Scholars explore global perspective on China's war of resistance against Japanese aggression
Chinese scientists conduct detailed analysis of key water source in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
China’s manufacturing continues to fuel global industry growth, promote sustainability
From Xinjiang’s desert to economic hubs: A power expressway that lights up both ends
From apothecary to Americano, traditional Chinese medicine turns into a lifestyle add-on
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to comment!
Leave a Comment