Multinational execs bullish on two sessions

Editor's Note: This year marks a critical milestone as China concludes its 14th Five-Year Plan. To help in assessing the success of the process, we have asked multinational executives to share with our readers their insights about their business achievements in the past few years and further expectations in the years to come.

Q1 What are your expectations for the two sessions? Do you expect any specific policy measures for further deepening reforms and expanding high-level opening-up? What more should China do to create a more enabling business environment for foreign investors?

XIA: Evonik is one of the world's leading specialty chemicals companies and we have been doing business in China for more than 90 years. China's unwavering focus on opening-up has reinforced our confidence in the market. As we look forward to the two sessions — the annual gatherings of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference — we anticipate it will further solidify China's commitment to high-level opening-up and institutional reforms. In particular, we noticed that the recently released plan for stabilizing foreign investment has set a clear roadmap, and we expect the two sessions to prioritize its implementation through complementary policies. With China's steadfast focus on high-level opening-up, we look forward to contributing to this journey through innovation and sustainable partnerships.

MACHADO: The two sessions are a critical platform for shaping China's economic, social and development policies and there are high expectations for the sessions as the world faces multiple challenges in different dimensions. Suzano has been committed to China for more than 40 years, over which time we increased our trade, volume, operations and investments — both in China and with Chinese stakeholders. Particularly over the past three years, Suzano significantly increased its investments and presence in China, which is translated into different dimensions. Suzano is particularly interested in measures that promote sustainable development, green manufacturing and the circular economy. We are keen to see measures that can further boost demand and consumer confidence, which are important engines for the growth of our industry and others in China.

OTRANTO: China's economic development has made it a key player in the global economy, which will continue to shape global economic growth and technological innovation in the years to come. In the two sessions, we expect to see policy measures that reflect China's strategic priorities for the year ahead, including support for the private sector, technological advancement and fiscal stimulus to navigate current challenges and promote sustainable growth.

DING: China's robust supply chain, favorable policies, dynamic innovation ecosystem and vast market potential provide significant advantages for our local operations here, much like for other multinational companies. We also look forward to a more open platform to strengthen supply chain collaborations and academia-industry partnerships. As a global company deeply rooted in China for over 40 years, 3M is committed to co-developing localized solutions that address challenges together with industry stakeholders, aligning our global capabilities with China's evolving priorities.