International SOS specializes in sustainable risk mitigation

What measures are needed if China wants to deepen reforms?

China will deepen economic and financial reforms and further open its market to foreign investors as it looks to move from high-speed to high-quality growth.

We believe this is the new blueprint for China's future development. The determination of China's top leaders to reform and open up will usher in a new round of strategic opportunities for overseas and Chinese investors alike. We would hope to see greater support in terms of both industrial policy and the regulatory framework by which Chinese companies can take on a more active and sustainable role on the global stage.

What is the most unforgettable experience you have had in China?

The most impressive experience and interesting thing for me has been the impact of technology in such a short space of time, such as social media app WeChat, mobile payments, online shopping and so on.

This has changed everyone's lives. It has helped China to leapfrog onto the world stage.

At International SOS we are embracing these changes and bringing our services to these new technologies and apps. For example, in 2017, our award-winning Assistance App and Travel Tracker provided over 1,500 clients with the ability to locate 10 million international travellers.

In China we have launched an online service platform for our customers for real-time communication with our medical and security professionals through WeChat.

Our e-learning and digital travel risk mitigation services serve as a complement to our assistance offering, providing our members with online tools to understand and prepare for their medical, security and travel risks.

Apart from economic development, what progress in other fields have you witnessed in China in the past 40 years?

China has made a wide range of achievements in the past few decades. The country has been the fastest-growing major economy for the past 30 to 40 years. Construction is happening at an unprecedented pace and China has built many cities and towns.

China's urbanization has also been phenomenal, with 300 million people moving to cities over the past 30 years, and another 300 million predicted to move from rural areas to urban centers in the next 30 years.

Education is of fundamental importance for China's long-term development and human resources are the basis of long-term prosperity. The country has witnessed historical changes and seen remarkable achievements in the field of education. The Ministry of Education said that higher education in China will also see an overall enrollment increase from the current 40 percent to 50 percent by 2020.

China now has the largest higher education sector in terms of student volume, which will help sustain its long-term development.

What will be the country's "calling card" in the coming years?

China has experienced fast growth and has some outstanding symbolic achievements, such as its high-speed rail system, which demonstrates its innovation in manufacturing and technology development.

I want to mention that the performance of Chinese enterprises in international markets has won more recognition. This year's Fortune 500 breaks another glass ceiling, as we have seen more than 120 Chinese companies on the list, three times as many as 10 years ago.

We can expect more Chinese corporations to enter the list as China's economy continues to grow, which will be another significant calling card of the country's increasing influence in the world.