Sony bullish on China operations

Japan's Sony Group Corp will continue to deepen its operations in China and expand cooperation with local partners and creators, in a bid to bolster the development of creative entertainment industry and meet Chinese consumers' increasing demand for high-quality entertainment experiences.

The company has always regarded China as one of its most important strategic markets worldwide, and has specifically established a cross-functional project team to integrate its strengths in electronics, music, film, gaming and animation to respond more swiftly to trends in the Chinese market, said Takeshi Yoshida, president of Sony China, in an interview with China Daily.

"We firmly believe that China not only offers immense growth opportunities, but also serves as a key force in shaping the future of creativity and quality of life," Yoshida said.

He emphasized that cocreation with Chinese partners is the company's key strategy. It has collaborated with Hunan Broadcasting System to launch a gourmet program and coproduced animation work in partnership with Chinese video-sharing platform Bilibili.

Yoshida said Sony is revitalizing sectors such as smart mobility, sports and entertainment through cross-business collaboration, expanding the boundaries of immersive experiences through technological innovation, as well as supporting content creators and promoting cultural exchanges.

It is leveraging its global resources and distribution platforms to help Chinese creators transform local cultural ideas into content with global influence, he said, adding that "Sony is committed to being an enabler and cocreator of China stories".

"We have always believed that China's creators are a vital driving force of the global creative ecosystem," Yoshida said, adding that the company continues to nurture creative talent, deepen the integration of industry and education, and provide sustainable innovation momentum for China's future.

At this year's China International Import Expo, the Japanese company will present a series of first-time launches and a wide range of technologies, content and projects, such as see-through connected vehicle warning systems, multisensory immersive projects and anti-fall AI detection sensing devices for seniors.

"China is an important stage for Sony to display its innovative ambitions. I am delighted to see that many of the technologies and content showcased by Sony at the CIIE over the past two to three years have garnered widespread attention and are gradually becoming a reality," Yoshida said.

The company looks forward to using the CIIE platform to deepen collaboration with Chinese creators, industry partners and users, and will work with Chinese partners to build an integrated and symbiotic creative entertainment ecosystem to drive the high-quality development of the creativity sector.

As for the fast-evolving artificial intelligence sector, Yoshida said: "Sony does not believe that AI will replace human creativity. Instead, we see it as a powerful tool to help creators bring their ideas into reality. Therefore, we are investing heavily in research and development, with a dedicated content creation technology department focused on exploring the application of AI in creative production."

AI technology is expected to significantly shorten development cycles for content such as games, liberating creators from repetitive and tedious tasks so they can focus more on core creative ideas, he said.

The executive added that Sony will actively explore the use of AI and other cutting-edge technologies to better serve the diverse community of fans in China, and drive higher-quality, more efficient creative content production.

The Ministry of Commerce said China saw 48,921 newly established foreign-invested firms in the first three quarters, an increase of 16.2 percent year-on-year. The actual use of foreign direct investment in September rose 11.2 percent year-on-year.

Zhang Jianping, deputy director of the academic committee at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, said the implementation of a new round of opening-up measures — such as a shortened negative list for market entry, the Foreign Investment Law and pilot free trade zones — has created favorable conditions for foreign businesses to invest in China.

China will hold greater appeal for foreign companies, given the nation's unwavering efforts to expand high-standard opening-up and optimize its business environment, Zhang said.