Consumers to gain as foreign firms access many sectors

China is taking solid steps to boost foreign trade and accelerate the building of a unified domestic market that is efficient, rules-based, open, and encourages fair competition. These have been strengthening foreign companies' confidence to develop their businesses in China.

Previously, China Daily dialed Fonterra and Bayer to collect their reflections on recent years' business environment in China. In this episode, we spoke with three additional multinational executives.

The first call was made to the Chinese branch of BSH Home Appliances — the largest home appliance manufacturer headquartered in Europe.

▲ Alexander Dony, president of BSH Home Appliances Greater China

Alexander Dony, president of BSH Home Appliances Greater China, said that China's growth prospects are supported by its complete industrial chain, rich human resources, convenient infrastructure, and a huge domestic market. China's willingness to further open up denotes that foreign companies will have more areas where they can compete and which should ultimately benefit the Chinese consumers.

Dony also underlined the role of the China International Import Expo (CIIE), in which BSH had participated for four consecutive years.

"Through this platform, we are able to get closer than ever to consumers and get first-hand feedback on our products, thus gaining a better understanding of Chinese consumers' actual needs," he said.

Then, Novartis Group, a global pharmaceutical company based in Switzerland, shared its view on China's constantly improving business environment.

▲ Dan Brindle, president of Novartis Group China

"It is very encouraging that the government has again emphasized a strong commitment to building an ecosystem that is supportive of business and that encourages innovation. This will provide further confidence to investors, and help companies such as Novartis to accelerate the delivery of our pipeline to the China market," said Dan Brindle, president of Novartis Group China.

Last, China Daily rang up A.P. Moller-Maersk, an integrated container logistics company and member of the A.P. Moller Group. The company shared how it aligns its business strategies with China's efforts in promoting reform and opening-up.

▲ Jens Eskelund, chief representative of A.P. Moller-Maersk in China

"We continue to believe that there are significant opportunities in China. The opportunity will change as China is becoming a more and more mature market. The economy is becoming more advanced. The consumers are upgrading in terms of their expectations, so we also need to become more competitive in the kind of services that we are able to offer on the Chinese market," said Jens Eskelund, the company’s chief representative in China.

Q&A with CEO

We invite multinational executives of Fortune 500 companies to share their takes on China's recent significant social and economic events, as well as their expectations for China's high-quality development, this year's policy agenda, and new opportunities they are seeking in the country.

出品人 王浩 孙尚武

监制 王钰 柯荣谊

统筹 何娜

制片 左卓

主持人 郑伊然

记者 钟南 刘志华

编辑 商桢

项目运营 商桢 左卓

实习生 凯芙塞

中国日报经济部

中国日报新媒体中心

联合出品

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