China market remains big draw for most MNCs

Editor's Note: These interviews with CEOs of major foreign firms gauge their outlook for the Chinese economy, their operations in China and their business plans for 2024 and beyond, in the wake of the momentous resolution adopted at the third plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee in mid-July.

Q1 The third plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee in mid-July has rolled out the reform and opening-up roadmap for the Chinese economy in the coming years. What are your major takeaways from the plenum? What are the biggest opportunities you spot in China's new measures to deepen reform and further open up its economy? How do you plan to capitalize on these opportunities in your specific industry?

YOOVIDHYA: The recently concluded plenum showcased China's strong commitment to high-quality economic growth through continuous reforms and further opening-up. The session unveiled forward-looking and strategic policies, particularly in areas such as technological innovation, a unified national market, relaxed foreign investment access and enhanced legal frameworks. These measures inject new vitality into the business environment and create abundant opportunities for international investors operating in China. For TCP Group, these reforms present an excellent opportunity for transformation and upgrading within the energy drink industry. TCP Group has always been confident in the Chinese market.

ZHU: First, I have observed the ambitious goals of China's economic reform and opening-up, as well as the confidence in the rapid development of the Chinese economy. Among the various measures, building a high-standard socialist market economy provides a friendly, fair and secure development environment for foreign enterprises. As a foreign enterprise, seeing China's support and friendliness toward foreign companies present significant opportunities for our business development. Currently, our business focus is on first-tier, new first-tier and second-tier cities. With the continued opening-up of the Chinese economy and the ongoing improvement of the market environment, we have the opportunity to expand our market coverage into more cities and regions. The reform and opening-up measures have created a favorable environment for the development of digital marketing, accelerating the application of digital marketing technologies and strategies, enabling us to more effectively reach target consumers and enhance our market competitiveness.

TSAO: From the plenary session, we note the Chinese government's firm commitment to advancing reform and opening-up. The high-standard open economy and technology innovation policies will stimulate enterprises' demand for innovative technologies, presenting a tremendous opportunity for Red Hat. Over its 20 years in China, Red Hat has provided enterprise-level open-source technology and services to thousands of companies. Open Red Hat, for China and in China, is dedicated to becoming a catalyst for IT innovation and a bridge for internal and external communication, accelerating the digital transformation and technological upgrading of Chinese enterprises. By leveraging cloud computing, containerization, edge computing and AI, we aim to enhance the independent innovation capabilities and international competitiveness of Chinese enterprises.

CHEN: The plenary session underscored the importance of further deepening comprehensive reforms and broadening openness, as well as bolstering technological innovation, which will significantly enhance the global competitiveness of Chinese enterprises. Benefiting from China's open policies, Singapore Exchange stands as a pioneer and ardent supporter of cross-market connectivity, fostering a robust link between China and Singapore. As Asia's leading financial infrastructure and the gateway for global investors to Asia, SGX aspires to deepen its strategic collaboration with China. SGX seeks to fortify ties with Chinese partners across pivotal sectors, including fixed income securities, currencies, commodity futures and equities.