Aligning growth plans with China's needs
A1 China's economic growth remained stable at more than 6 percent in the first half of 2019, so China is still the fastest growing large economy in the world. China is SAP's "second home" and we remain firm in our commitment to China. Earlier this year, we announced a new five-year plan to increase our investments. The plan focuses on expanding our geographic presence across the country, growing our support for SMEs, building a large partner ecosystem, and enhancing our skilled workforce.
A2 China stands for quality, speed and innovation. The next frontier will be to create wonderful end-to-end customer experiences. We are moving quickly into an "experience economy". Imagine if you make products that your customers can't live without, and service experiences that are really different and better than your competitors. This makes customers true "fans" of your company. We want to help Chinese companies become "experience companies" so they not only win in the market, but also contribute to the growth of the economy and to the general well-being of society.
A3 We see companies accelerating the pace of upgrading their manufacturing capabilities. The integration of technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, the internet of things, and big data are prerequisites for high-tech manufacturing, and becoming much more pervasive in traditional industries. Our deep expertise in smart manufacturing helps our customers take advantage of these latest capabilities so they can achieve rapid business value and contribute to high-quality economic development.
A4 We have more than 400,000 customers in 180 countries and we support fair and open trade between companies and countries around the world. We operate in a deeply globalized trade system that ultimately is beneficial to the world's economy and societies. Especially in challenging times like these, Chinese businesses need to secure greater efficiencies and flexibility to better withstand economic uncertainties and take advantage of new opportunities. SAP remains committed to helping its China customers become "intelligent enterprises" and to support their success.
A5 China recognizes the immense opportunity to partner with collaborative innovators from around the world. China has introduced a new foreign investment law to strengthen intellectual property protection, which is encouraging for innovation companies like SAP.We aim to develop products that are even more tailored to the China market, and also collaborate with our customers and many of China's leading technology companies to co-innovate new solutions for manufacturing, retail and utilities.
A6 China is leading the world with 5G technologies and applications. This high-speed infrastructure, combined with advanced technologies like cloud computing, AI, IoT, big data, analytics and real-time data management, will create new business models that will continue to drive the development of China's digital economy. We see enormous opportunities across industries, from natural resources to precision medicine, for technology to transform business and the economy, and also to improve society and people's lives.
