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Global business leaders eager to expand research, increase investment in China

China

China

China

Global business leaders eager to expand research, increase investment in China

2025-03-25 09:17 Last Updated At:16:17

Global business leaders expressed their enthusiasm for expanding research and increasing investment in China at the China Development Forum 2025.

Themed "Unleashing Development Momentum for Stable Growth of Global Economy", the two-day forum, which brought together 86 official delegates from multinational companies from 21 countries, concluded on Monday in Beijing.

The executives attending the forum are keenly interested in China's economic dynamics and development strategies, with many arriving early to gain deeper insights into China's economic policies and technological progress.

During interviews with China Central Television (CCTV), the business leaders highlighted the buzzwords in China's development.

"That's a trade-in program, and I think that's a good sponsorship for consumption," said Stefan Hartung, chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH, a German multinational engineering and technology company.

"We actually have strong partnerships with DeepSeek," said Michael Nelson, president and CEO of Amway, an American company that sells health, beauty and home care products.

"New quality productive forces are really the future of China," said Jean-Pascal Tricoire, CEO and chairman of the multinational electricity company Schneider Electric.

As the business leaders seek to increase presence in the country's vast market, they specified the regions where they aim to boost their investment in China.

"For us the opportunity is to penetrate all the cities," said Anil Wadhwani, CEO of Prudential plc, a British-domiciled multinational insurance and asset management company.

"We are opening up an organic farm in Sichuan Province, and so we will have a groundbreaking of that in the next several months," said Nelson.

"The places where we invest are the places where we do R and D, where we do manufacturing," said Tricoire.

"We need icy conditions for driving on ice, so we have to be in the north, right? Wuxi businesses, in Taicang, Suzhou, in Chongqing, in many areas we build up new businesses," said Hartung.

The business leaders also expressed their aspirations to diversify their portfolio in China, actively seeking out new avenues for growth and opportunity.

"And China needs more consumption. We are increasing our lineup for the home appliances," said Hartung.

"We continue to look at anti-aging products, we continue to invest into research and development capabilities," said Nelson. "We are developing with China green hydrogen. We want to develop the supply chain of desalination in China," said Mohammed Abunayyan, chairman of the board of ACWA Power, a Saudi Arabian company on power generation and desalinated water production.

Global business leaders eager to expand research, increase investment in China

Global business leaders eager to expand research, increase investment in China

Global business leaders eager to expand research, increase investment in China

Global business leaders eager to expand research, increase investment in China

The United States on Wednesday released a new round of Iran-related sanctions targeting a law firm, shipping agents and multiple cargo vessels.

As part of Operation Economic Outcast, a sanctions campaign targeting Iran, the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned a Panama- and Greece-based law firm, according to a statement released on the website of the department.

The law firm has supported illicit Iranian shipping activity for years, indirectly aiding Tehran's ability to generate revenue "to fund its military, weapons, and nuclear programs," according to the statement.

The department sanctioned Singapore- and UAE-based shipping agents, saying they have directly aided Iranian shadow fleet operations.

The sanctions also targeted a fleet of cargo vessels that has helped generate substantial revenue for Iran, said the statement.

Meanwhile, the Office of Foreign Assets Control under the department issued two general licenses to provide a grace period for relevant parties to gradually wind down transactions with sanctioned entities, saying such transactions must be concluded by November 20, Eastern Time.

On August 24, the United States launched a wave of new sanctions on Iran, targeting five critical sectors of digital assets, technology, gold, aviation and shipping that the U.S. says Iran has relied on to prop up its economy.

US releases new round of Iran-related sanctions

US releases new round of Iran-related sanctions

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