Optimistic Chinese market foreign investment in the New Year hot layout

Source: Wang Wenbo 2021-01-25 08:02:28

At the beginning of the New Year, the "hard-core" performance of the Chinese economy and the policy signals of expanding opening-up have further stimulated the expectations of foreign investors on the Chinese market.

Reporters learned that in recent days, a number of major foreign investment projects in intensive landing, hot construction, among them, the global research and development center, headquarters project and supply chain operation center and other hot spots.

The companies surveyed said they are optimistic about the huge potential and resilience of the Chinese economy, the domestic demand of China's 1.4 billion people, and the benefits of China's determination to open up. They will focus more on China in the future.

Shanghai's Songjiang District recently welcomed good news, Pepsi Food will set up the China headquarters, Ningyi Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd. will invest 700 million yuan to build the East China headquarters supply chain operation center.

On the same day, a number of valuable foreign investment projects settled in Shanghai Hongqiao Business District, including Global Outlet Headquarters Base Project, Danieli Regional Headquarters Project, IKEA Shopping Center Shanghai Airport Project, etc.

These are just some of the representatives of the concentrated contracted foreign investment projects in Shanghai.

On January 15, 62 foreign-invested projects with a total investment of US $11.85 billion were set up in Shanghai.

It is understood that the contracted projects cover artificial intelligence, biomedicine, integrated circuits, digital economy, fashion consumer goods and other industries, with the characteristics of high level of investment subjects, many projects in key functional areas, leading industries with cutting-edge technology, and wide distribution of key industries.

In fact, in 2020, Shanghai has already handed over a dazzling "report card" of adding 51 regional headquarters of multinational corporations and 20 foreign-funded research and development centers, driving the core functions of the city to achieve new improvement.

Foreign-funded enterprises have become an important driving force for China's economic development and a focus of support from all localities.

Journalists have noted that recently, Hainan and many other places are introducing measures to expand opening-up and increase foreign investment.

The special management measures for foreign investment access in Hainan Free Trade Port (negative list) (2020 version) will come into force on Feb 1.

The list is further opened to value-added telecommunications, education, business services, manufacturing, mining and other sectors.

More good news is on the way.

The Ministry of Commerce is working with Hainan province and other relevant authorities to promote a negative list for cross-border trade in services at the Hainan Free Trade Port, said Gao Feng, spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce on Monday.

The list will be China's first negative list for cross-border trade in services. It will further expand market access in services trade and help the Hainan Free Trade Port open up to a higher level.

Looking at the national level, foreign preferential policies will be increased.

Zong Changqing, director-general of the Department of Foreign Investment of the Ministry of Commerce, confirmed that 2021 is the first year of the 14th Five-Year Plan. China will speed up the construction of a new development pattern featuring domestic cycles as the main body and mutually reinforcing domestic and international cycles. China will only open its door wider to the outside world and provide even broader space for enterprises from all over the world to develop in China.

In terms of specific measures, Zong Changqing said that it will continue to expand the high-level opening up to the outside world, continue to innovate the way to attract investment in the industrial chain, continue to improve the level of the open platform, improve the service guarantee system for foreign investment, deepen the reform of "delegation, regulation and service" and so on.

It is understood that a national work conference on foreign investment will be held in the near future, at which time the annual work objectives, tasks and measures on foreign investment will be further clarified, and more benefits will be achieved.

Various favorable conditions have further strengthened the determination and confidence of foreign enterprises in expanding their business in China.

Zhang Yufeng, president of high-tech company Honeywell China, told Economic Information Daily that the integration of the physical and digital worlds has brought immeasurable energy and business opportunities, especially in China, which is the first to recover from the epidemic.

"Honeywell will continue to increase its investment in China and work hand in hand with its partners to further enhance its research and development capabilities so that the technologies and products developed in China can serve the vast overseas market."

He said.

Schneider Electric is also optimistic about the prospects of the Chinese market.

In an interview with reporters, Yin Zheng, executive vice president of Schneider Electric and president of China, said, "Facing the future, multinational enterprises need to develop stronger localization ability to better seize the opportunities brought by the double cycle, which also strengthens our confidence to expand investment and deepen development in China."

He also said that in the future will continue to increase investment in research and development in China, further strengthen Schneider Electric in China's industrial chain and local supply chain layout.

Facts have also proved that China has become a "stabilizer" and "safe haven" for transnational investment.

In 2020, the global cross-border direct investment declined sharply, but China's absorption of foreign investment is growing against the trend. In 2020, the actual use of foreign investment in the whole year was 999.98 billion yuan, an increase of 6.2% year on year, and achieved "three improvements" in the total amount of investment, the growth range and the global proportion.

According to Pang Chaoran, an associate researcher at the Ministry of Commerce Research Institute, the trend is expected to further consolidate in 2021.

He told reporters that China's efforts to build a new pattern of development, unimpeded economic circulation, step up opening-up and continuously optimize the business environment will encourage more foreign companies to pay more attention to the Chinese market.

At the same time, the advantages of China's super-large market will not change in the short term, and the comprehensive competitive advantages of industrial supporting facilities, human resources, infrastructure and other aspects are becoming increasingly prominent.

"These factors will continue to consolidate the expectations and confidence of foreign enterprises in investing and doing business in China."

He said.

Pang Chaoran also pointed out that the development dividend is gradually appearing, the policy support is increasing, foreign-funded enterprises are accelerating the layout of the domestic market, and there are many positive signs, such as more enterprises to move the headquarters economy to China, foreign-funded enterprises layout more research and development centers.

In addition, with the continuous improvement of the development situation of domestic foreign trade, the degree of facilitation and liberalization of goods entering and leaving the customs has been continuously enhanced, and domestic and foreign trade have continued to develop in a coordinated way. Foreign enterprises have also increased their investment in supply chain headquarters to better meet the needs of domestic economic development.

Editor in charge: Ge Yan