Executives from Swedish engineering and service company Alfa Laval on Friday reaffirmed their commitment to exploring the Chinese market, highlighting the country as a key market for future investment and collaboration.
Speaking in a studio interview with China Central Television (CCTV) inside the venue of the ongoing 8th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, Alfa Laval's CEO Tom Erixon and CFO Fredrik Ekstrom shared their views on Chinese market and what CIIE has brought to their company.
This year, Alfa Laval brought its management team of 12 top executives to the expo. Erixon explained the move was a strategic decision to ensure the entire leadership group experienced the market firsthand.
"Sometimes it's important that we, as a team, experience the same thing. It's a very much a learning experience from what is for us the most important market in the world, China. Discussion, partly the Five-Year Plan, partly some of their wishes that we have from the industry in terms of facilitating our access to the China market. So, that was a very important moment for us," said Erixon.
Ekstrom noted that this year's event has offered a special place to gather stakeholders and share insights. "I think it's a mix of meeting government officials, it's meeting our customers, and of course, it's expanding our view of what's happening in China at the same time because when you look around, you really get a true sense of how important China is as a market for the rest of the world and why it's important for us to be here as well. China is really an important market for us. In fact, it's 20 percent of our turnover. But more importantly, we look at it as a future market because China leads the global energy transition right now," said the CFO.
Erixon also underscored the importance of China's Five-Year Plan and how it has effectively helped his company in planning.
"We've followed the Five-Year Plans throughout many, many years in China. We find they are very predictive of what's actually going to happen. The five-year horizon is very helpful for our planning horizon for capacity planning," said the CEO.
For Ekstrom, China's rapid advancement in green development has been a great source of confidence.
"China actually leads today. There is no other country that has invested more in the green transition than China over the last 24 months and that is certainty, the certainty of leadership and therefore we are here," said Ekstrom.
Swedish engineering company deepens commitment to China as its key market
China is willing to carry forward traditional friendship with Bangladesh, enhance political mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation, and be the most reliable partner in Bangladesh's national development process, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during talks with Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman in Beijing.
Noting that China supports Bangladesh's new government in maintaining unity and stability, revitalizing economic development, and improving people's well-being, Wang said China is willing to continue providing Bangladesh with support and assistance to the best of its ability.
He said China is ready to promote the alignment of the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation with Bangladesh's national development strategies, deepen cooperation in traditional areas like economy, trade, investment, infrastructure, water conservancy and people-to-people exchanges, expand cooperation in emerging industries such as green development and digital economy, and support Chinese enterprises to invest in Bangladesh.
Wang stressed that China's development of relations with Bangladesh and other South Asian countries does not target any third party, nor should it be affected by any third party.
Rahman said Bangladesh and China enjoy traditional friendship, and that China has always been a trustworthy and indispensable friend and partner for Bangladesh.
Stressing that the new Bangladeshi government attaches great importance to relations with China, he said that Bangladesh firmly stands with China on the Taiwan question, adheres to the one-China principle, steadfastly safeguards the authority of UN General Assembly Resolution 2758, recognizes that the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and supports the realization of China's national reunification.
Rahman said Bangladesh appreciates the long-term support and assistance from China, looks forward to further deepening all-round friendship and cooperation, elevating the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries to a new level, and boosting its own economic and social development.
Bangladesh welcomes Chinese enterprises to invest in Bangladesh and is ready to provide a stable, sound and predictable business environment, he added.
Both sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern. After the talks, the two sides issued a joint press release.
China, Bangladesh FMs hold talks, vowing to deepen friendship, practical cooperation
