China's complete supply chain, rapid growth lure global manufacturers

A growing number of manufacturing entrepreneurs worldwide have chosen China as their launchpad, citing the country's well-established supply chain and rapid pace of development as key drivers behind their decision to start up businesses and scale up investments there.

Swedish entrepreneur John Loewbaeck is one of them. His elevator company in Taicang, east China's Jiangsu Province, is running in full swing to fulfill orders from around the world, including those from Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.

The company has seen a sales surge from just six units in its first year of production in 2021 to nearly 900 in 2025, which he attributes to China's flexible supply chain and efficient logistics.

"If we receive the order, let's say today, we could probably, I mean, produce and ship it out already next week," he said.

However, European competitors, by contrast, often need four to five months, he said.

About 70 percent of the company's components come from local suppliers, including glass, metal and aluminum, delivering better prices and faster turnaround.

Taicang, where John's family is based, is home to 12,000 industrial enterprises and over 1,800 foreign-invested firms. Backed by the Yangtze River Delta's comprehensive industrial chain, multimodal logistics, port-adjacent location and dense transport networks, the city gives John great confidence in his future development.

"We have many important suppliers in China. So we've been here for five or six years, but we are investing more and more into China," he said.

A similar story has unfolded in Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, where American entrepreneur Ladon Ghalili and her husband have run an electronics design and manufacturing company since 1993, growing alongside China's industrial upgrading. The company now produces equipment shipped to Europe and the United States.

"China is becoming easier and easier to do things, everything. We use our Chinese experience to train (factories in) other countries," Ghalili said.

She frequently shares her experience with overseas peers.

"In fact, it's one of the biggest markets in the world. And it is very advanced. So if they want to invest, definitely they should look into China," she said.

China's complete supply chain, rapid growth lure global manufacturers

As the week-long National Day holiday enters its fifth day on Monday, many travelers across China are heading home, prompting transport authorities to ramp up services for a safe and orderly return.

Rail networks are projected to handle 21.05 million passenger trips on Monday alone, with over 1,400 additional trains scheduled to keep pace with demand. To manage heavy passenger influxes and overlapping arrivals, stations in multiple cities have opened extra exit gates, established close coordination mechanisms with local transport departments, increased bus scheduling frequencies and extended operating hours into the night. Several hubs have rolled out integrated travel services, linking high-speed rail, buses, and tourist attractions to facilitate transfers. Highways are also beginning to see increasing return traffic, with heavy congestion concentrated on routes into major cities and key inter-provincial corridors. According to the Ministry of Transport, more than 30 expressway sections nationwide are expected to see significant jams on Monday. In response, local traffic authorities have stepped up monitoring of road networks, issued timely congestion alerts and alternative route guidance, and encouraged travelers to stagger their departures.

Waterways are expected to handle 1.48 million passenger trips on Monday, up 14.8 percent year on year. To ease long queues and ticket difficulties for island trips, the Ningbo Terminal in east China's Zhejiang Province is offering online reservations for private cars heading to destinations in Zhoushan across the sea. Travelers can book a sailing half a day in advance, with separate passenger and vehicle channels and free shuttle buses in place to ensure a smoother experience.

The National Day holiday, widely known as the Golden Week, runs from October 1 to 7 this year. It is one of China's busiest travel and tourism seasons, typically triggering massive nationwide movements as hundreds of millions of people travel for family reunions or leisure.

China braces for return travel peak as National Day holiday nears end