'Dual circulation' to boost growth (Ⅳ)

A1: China is an important component of Whirlpool Corporation's global development strategy. Whirlpool China has been optimizing Whirlpool Corporation's global innovation platform, improving the cost competitiveness in local manufacturing, which will eventually lead to the expansion of Whirlpool's Asia-Pacific, as well as global export business.

A2: In the domestic market, Whirlpool China continues to increase investment in the Whirlpool brand, and strengthen our operational management capabilities to improve production and operational efficiency. We focus on the dishwasher business line to boost our kitchen appliance business in China, and also create a digital consumer journey to enhance customer experience. In the international market, we are reinforcing our efforts to expand foreign trade and make Whirlpool China a key part of Whirlpool's global supply chain and consumer market.

A3: Whirlpool China believes that stabilizing foreign trade and investment and ensuring industrial and supply chains are the most critical to our business development. Whirlpool China is committed to focus on product development and manufacturing in the local market, making Hefei an important part of Whirlpool Corporation's global supply chain and global R&D platform.

A4: China's economic development model has helped enterprises to ensure the health and safety of employees, while smoothly resuming work and production. It has also helped to stabilize the global supply chain. At the beginning of 2020, Whirlpool China responded instantly and actively to the pandemic. We strongly believed that under the guidance of the Chinese government, and with the help of the booming domestic digital technologies, the negative economic impact of COVID-19 would eventually be relieved.

A5: As China has entered a "new development stage", the new philosophy and new pattern requires a high-quality growth featuring innovative, coordinated, green and open, to help China achieve better, fairer, safer, more efficient and sustainable development.

A6. How does China fit into your overall business strategy in the coming years? What role do you expect China to play in driving the world economy?

In the past few decades China has played an important role in boosting the global economy, and even more so during this severe global epidemic. We believe that China will play an even more important role in the future. Thanks to the "Made in China 2025" policy and the rapid development of manufacturing technology, China is now one of the most attractive countries in terms of market size, as well as the structure and completeness of the supply chain.

A7: Thanks to a better business environment and the steady advance in system and mechanism reform, enterprises in China, including Whirlpool China, have grown rapidly. Moving into the 14th Five-Year Plan, Whirlpool China is full of expectations, confidence, and motivation. We will continue to attach great importance to the innovation and technology, creating healthy, smart and high-end products, including refrigerators, washers and kitchen appliances based on consumer needs. We will also expand in both online and offline retail channels to reach more consumers, providing humanized and environmentally friendly products for helping them achieve their ideal lifestyle.