Foreign companies embrace China's development opportunities with optimism in the new year

　Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, March 20 (Reporter Wang Siyuan) "China is the most important market, and being able to come to China after the Spring Festival is very important to me." Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Group, said in an interview with Xinhua News Agency reporters, "We hope to continue expanding our product lineup in China."

　　Blume's trip to China is extraordinary. After China optimized and adjusted its epidemic prevention and control measures, executives of multinational corporations have started business trips to China, vying to seize new opportunities in China's economic development.

　　Shu Jueting, spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce, said that dozens of multinational company headquarters have coordinated with the Ministry of Commerce on arrangements for recent business trips to China.

　　Volkswagen Group is one of them. According to Blume, his inspection trip was tight, visiting Beijing, Changchun, Shanghai, and Hefei within a week. He not only had face-to-face exchanges with Chinese colleagues, business partners, and government representatives but also learned about the current market situation in China firsthand.

　 　The picture shows a cargo ship berthed at the container terminal of Chuanshan Port Area in Ningbo-Zhoushan Port (photographed on January 31). Xinhua News Agency reporter Huang Zongzhi

　　After this inspection, Blume holds a positive and optimistic attitude towards China's economy this year. "We expect the Chinese car market to continue to recover in 2023, with the new energy vehicle market being particularly broad." Blume said.

　　He also revealed that Volkswagen Group will establish new technological partnerships in China.

　　To meet the needs of multinational companies' business trips to China, the Ministry of Commerce has previously stated that it will strengthen normalized communication with foreign-invested enterprises and foreign business associations, help solve problems encountered by enterprises, implement national treatment for foreign-invested enterprises, improve the cross-departmental coordination mechanism for complaints from foreign-invested enterprises at all levels, and protect the investment rights and interests of foreign investors in accordance with the law.

　　The American Chamber of Commerce in South China recently released a report stating that the results of its survey of more than 200 companies show that over 90% of the surveyed companies regard China as one of the most important investment destinations, and 75% of the surveyed companies plan to reinvest in China in 2023.

The picture shows Shanghai scenery photographed on February 20. Xinhua News Agency reporter Fang Zhe

　　Data released by the Ministry of Commerce on the 17th shows that from January to February 2023, the actual amount of foreign capital used nationwide was 268.44 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6.1%.

　　Wang Lei, Global Executive Vice President of AstraZeneca, a British pharmaceutical company, expressed his high concern about China's policy environment in an interview with reporters. He said that the "greater efforts to attract and utilize foreign investment" mentioned in the 2023 Government Work Report made him feel China's sincerity in continuing to expand its opening up and providing a better policy environment and business conditions for foreign-invested enterprises.

　　According to Wang Lei, in 2023, AstraZeneca will continue to improve the speed and height of R&D innovation in China and rely on regional headquarters in Beijing, Guangzhou, Wuxi, Hangzhou, Chengdu, and Qingdao to promote the integration of the entire industry locally, forming a coordinated development strategy in China with its China headquarters located in Shanghai.

　　 The picture shows workers producing pistons at an auto parts processing company in Binzhou City, Shandong Province on February 23. Xinhua News Agency (photographed by Chu Baorui)

　　In late March, AstraZeneca will also participate in the China Development High-Level Forum and hold the 2023 AstraZeneca China R&D Day event.

　　Since the end of last year, international institutions such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, Fitch, and Morgan Stanley have raised their expectations for China's economic growth this year, believing that China's comprehensive economic recovery will generate a huge "spillover effect" and continue to play a leading role in driving global economic growth.

　　This year, China's economic growth target is set at around 5%, and the Government Work Report repeatedly emphasizes steady growth. In Wang Lei's view, "This shows the Chinese government's determination to promote stable economic operation and inject confidence into the global economic recovery."

　　"We have seen the Chinese government's determination to optimize and deepen service reforms, as well as the achievements and further commitments to achieving stable economic operation and steady improvement in the quality of development. This brings strong impetus to the development of AstraZeneca and other foreign-invested enterprises in China." Wang Lei said.