Foreign companies expand investments, seize new opportunities in China

Foreign investors have continued to intensify their presence in China in the new year, with new projects seeking to seize new opportunities created by the country's vast market, innovation vitality and opening-up policy.

Parkson, a Malaysia-based department store operator, is renovating a shopping mall in central Shanghai. As the oldest foreign-funded department store in the city, it re-signed a 15-year contract with the property owner after the previous contract expired two months ago.

In Suzhou City of east China's Jiangsu Province, Swiss measuring instrument company Endress+Hauser Group is building two new factories to improve its production capacity in the country.

"We have invested more or less 1.5 billion yuan (about 204.9 million U.S. dollars), and the next phase of investment is 2 billion [yuan] for the next three to five years," said Matthias Altendorf, president of the company's supervisory board.

Sanofi, a French multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company, has recently announced it would invest one billion euros to build a new production base in Beijing E-Town, the largest ever single investment by any foreign investor in China.

"It's a huge investment for us. But it's the right thing to do," said Paul Hudson, chief executive officer of Sanofi.

China has removed all market access restrictions on foreign investment in the manufacturing sector and constantly extended pilots for service opening-up in the fields of telecommunications, medical services and education.

According to the latest Sentiment Survey by the British Chamber of Commerce in China and the Business Confidence Survey by the German Chamber of Commerce in China, 76 percent of British companies are maintaining or increasing their investment in China, 92 percent of German companies plan to maintain their operations, and over half of German companies plan to increase investment within the next two years in China.

Foreign companies expand investments, seize new opportunities in China

Foreign companies expand investments, seize new opportunities in China

Foreign companies expand investments, seize new opportunities in China

Foreign companies expand investments, seize new opportunities in China

China attaches great importance to the development of China-Singapore relations, and is willing to maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges, promote practical cooperation in various fields, and enhance people-to-people exchanges with Singapore, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when holding talks with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan in Beijing.

Noting that over the past year, under the strategic guidance of leaders of the two countries and joint efforts of both sides, the all-round high-quality and future-oriented partnership between China and Singapore has maintained a good momentum, Wang urged the two countries to continue to enhance strategic communication, increase mutual trust, jointly address the ever-emerging global challenges at present, and safeguard the overall situation of regional peace and stability.

Wang said that maintaining the security of global industrial and supply chains and the smooth flow of maritime navigation is in the common interests of the international community, and China is willing to continue to make efforts to this end.

Noting that Singapore is an important ASEAN member and will assume ASEAN's rotating presidency next year, Wang said China expects the Singaporean side to continue playing an active role in promoting China-ASEAN cooperation.

Balakrishnan said Singapore highly values its relations with China, adheres to the one-China policy, and firmly opposes "Taiwan independence."

Singapore is willing to maintain close high-level exchanges with China, promote practical cooperation in various fields, carry out key cooperation projects of both sides, and promote regional connectivity, he said.

Singapore is ready to promote greater progress in ASEAN-China comprehensive strategic partnership, support the Global Development Initiative, and uphold multilateralism and free trade, and is willing to work with China to make joint efforts in promoting world peace, development and prosperity, he added.

China ready to promote practical cooperation with Singapore: Chinese FM