MNCs share optimistic outlook on China market

Q2 Which business segment (s) of your company do you expect to see high growth in China this year? What are the new trends and interesting business opportunities in the Chinese market that your company might be keen to tap? How will you align your business strategies with such trends?

POIROT: Aligned with our long-term business strategy, we will look at opportunities and explore growth in the areas of hydrogen energy, electronics, high-tech manufacturing and medical care. We will further promote the development of the entire industrial chain of the local hydrogen energy industry, actively share Air Liquide's expertise in hydrogen production, transportation and storage technologies, and support local new forces in clean mobility. By deeply engaging in the local supply chain, especially in the Yangtze River Delta region and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, we support advanced semiconductor manufacturers with required advanced precursors to develop our business in the field of electronics.

XIA: China's dual-carbon goals have unleashed market demand for sustainable materials and low-carbon technologies, which brings huge opportunities to companies like Evonik. Evonik is committed to providing its latest sustainable solutions to the market and strengthening partnerships with local customers. We are enhancing local innovation capabilities with specific technologies to support strategic industries such as e-mobility, renewable energy and environmental protection, among others. We are also continuously optimizing our processes and technologies for production so as to minimize our impact on the environment.

XIE: We believe China's steel demand will stay resilient in the long term, supported by the country's sound economic fundamentals. Driven by the dual carbon goals, usage of steel structures in construction in China is expected to increase. As for raw materials, we see important business opportunities in an increasing demand for high-grade ores, blast furnace direct charge products and direct reduction feed that is driven by steelmaking decarbonization. We also see opportunities from the rapid growth of China's new energy vehicle sector. We are advancing the development of our robust pipeline of projects to enable growth in nickel to meet the needs of the growing NEV sector and to grasp the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity brought by energy transition.

AGARWAL: China is focusing on achieving higher-quality growth in a more efficient and sustainable manner, which will further foster innovation and sustainability, thus providing more opportunities for companies like Henkel. Our commitment to sustainability aligns with China's national agenda of a green economy. In China, one-third of our production sites use 100 percent green electricity.

In the coming years, Henkel will continue investing in China to further support our consumers with impactful and sustainable innovations in sectors where we see strong future demand. These include industrial sectors such as new energy vehicles, new materials, consumer electronics, telecommunications, new infrastructure, additive manufacturing and consumer segments such as hair dyes and home cleaning products.

MACCORMAC: The civil aviation market will no doubt see a strong recovery. Apart from that, we see huge potential in the growth of more sustainable power solutions — which is a focus for Rolls-Royce. We are constantly improving fuel efficiency in our products as well as compatibility with sustainable fuels, while exploring alternative energies. For example, in recent months, we tested our civil aero engine and power generation engine using hydrogen fuel. As China sets its dual carbon goals, the sustainable power solutions provided by Rolls-Royce will see growing market demand.