China leading in capacity and innovation

Q2 "China Travel" and "Shopping in China" have become buzzwords among international visitors, fueled by China's unilateral visa-free policies for multiple countries and a new initiative allowing eligible travelers to receive instant tax refunds. How is your business planning to innovate and capture the momentum from this trend? Additionally, how do you view emerging opportunities in areas such as green technology, the low-altitude economy, smart manufacturing, and experiential services?

CHEN: Syensqo sees opportunities in green technology. The market demand for new frontiers of growth, such as electrification, lightweighting, advanced connectivity, more efficient resource utilization, which includes green hydrogen, higher quality of life, and more sustainable sourcing — have brought new opportunities for economic development and corporate development. With the development of green technology, I believe we will be able to see the country becoming a more circular economy, with performance excellence and environmental responsibility going hand in hand. The low-altitude economy is an emerging industry in global competition, with great development potential in China. We've seen that some companies have established research and development centers in China, dedicated to the design of electric aircraft and eVTOL. Compared to the traditional aviation market, the low-altitude economy's aircraft now extensively use new energy as the power source. This will allow companies like Syensqo to contribute by offering high-performance composite materials to lighten the aircraft structure and provide smarter and more efficient battery solutions.

XIA: The rise of "China Travel" reflects the growing dynamism of China's consumer market. While Evonik's products primarily serve industrial customers, we are well-positioned to support the industries benefiting from this trend. Looking ahead, green technologies are one of the key focus areas and align with our new innovation strategy, which focuses on bio-based solutions, energy transition, and the circular economy. For example, our bio-based surfactants enhance sustainability in personal and household care products, while our membrane technologies enable efficient green hydrogen production. In the emerging low-altitude economy, we are developing lightweight, durable materials for drones and urban air mobility vehicles, leveraging our expertise in aerospace composites. Ultimately, China's focus on high-tech, high-value industries creates a symbiotic relationship between consumption upgrades and industrial innovation. Evonik is committed to being a partner in this journey, leveraging our material science leadership to turn emerging trends into tangible progress.

MACHADO: China's expanded visa-free policies amplify its global appeal. I'm especially excited about the trial implementation of a 30-day visa-free entry policy for five Latin American countries including Brazil. While the policy was just announced, we anticipate it will significantly ease cultural and professional exchanges between our regions. At Suzano, we're particularly optimistic about how this could facilitate more seamless collaboration between our Brazilian experts and China-based teams in the future. As to emerging opportunities in AI and technology, we are deploying a local team to help us better leverage China's strength by incorporating Chinese technology into our operations in China and across other regions. For example, we aim to explore how drones could be used in smart forestry, coupled with AI, to further enhance the productivity of our plantations in Brazil.

ZHAO: These buzzwords reflect China's firm determination in furthering its high-standard opening-up that fosters a favorable business climate for multinational companies like Astellas. As a global pharmaceutical company that entered the Chinese mainland in 1994, Astellas has been a beneficiary of China's reform and opening-up, particularly intensified reforms in its regulatory framework such as the accelerated review and approval system for innovative drugs. We have, therefore, not only accelerated to address unmet medical needs in China with our innovative solutions, but also increased our investment in China with upgraded corporate structure and strategy in the country. With regard to the healthcare industry, Astellas is bolstered by China's emerging opportunities like green technology and AI, alongside increased medical needs for high-quality innovative solutions, and we are optimistic about our long-term and sustainable development in China.