Editor's Note: The China International Import Expo draws global corporate giants, world trade leaders and up-and-coming stars in business and commerce. As the expo launches its fifth edition this year, some senior executives of multinational corporations who have participated in the event for five straight years, shared their views on the CIIE's role in boosting global economic recovery from COVID-19.

Q1: For the fifth straight year, your company is participating in the annual CIIE this November. Why is the event so important to you? What are your expectations this year?

Q2: Is there any added significance to the CIIE in the context of the downward pressures on the global economy brought by the COVID-19 pandemic and its softening effect on global demand?

Q3: China has been striving to increase imports to support manufacturers and producers in other economies. The country has also continuously opened its markets and economy to foreign investors and foreign companies. Overall, what do you think are China's contributions to the world?

Q4: Your company operates in a certain industry. What prospects does that industry currently have in China? And what's the biggest opportunity for your company as the country pursues high-quality development?

Q5: What's your view on China's current level of opening-up? How can high-standard opening-up be made even more effective in the future?

Ding Hongyu, senior vice-president of 3M Co and president of 3M China

A1: The CIIE is the most effective platform for multinational companies like 3M to foster trade, connectivity and relevancy in China. It provides 3M with opportunities to demonstrate our cutting-edge technologies, and promote innovative products and solutions to our potential customers in focused industries and the public. Over the past four years, by leveraging the platform, 3M showcased a number of innovative products and won wide popularity among Chinese customers.

A2: The COVID-19 pandemic reinforced the power of science in solving tough challenges. The challenges the world faces may seem daunting, but they are solvable — especially if tackled with a collaborative and science-based approach. China has made strong commitments to green and high-quality development. We are excited about the opportunities to leverage incentives and apply 3M science to green development across the country by working closely with government branches, businesses and research institutes — and, of course, by making full use of great marketing platforms like the CIIE.

A3: China's economy is closely connected with the global economy. With its high resilience and potential, the Chinese economy will help boost the confidence of a world facing challenges. China has played an irreplaceable role in global industrial and supply chains, and also in global economic recovery amid the pandemic.

China is a strategically important long-term market for 3M. We have continued to invest in the country. We have achieved mass production for the newly set up semiconductor grinding disc production line at our Suzhou plant in Jiangsu province and put into use the China Adhesive Prototyping Center this year. These moves help us better serve customers with full localization from R&D to production and commercialization.

A4: We see many growth opportunities in China across our leading businesses — including industrial, electronics, automotive, healthcare, air quality and safety.

The country's investments in modern manufacturing and infrastructure development will bring new opportunities for 3M. We are also excited about the opportunities coming from its focus on green development, a priority of its long-range strategic plans. Sustainability is incorporated into every new product 3M makes.

A5: China's continued opening-up efforts have actively bolstered its economic growth, and the economy has shifted from high-speed growth to high-quality development, with innovation as a core driver. The business environment for foreign enterprises has also steadily improved. This includes significant progress in IP protection, which will facilitate market access for many products.

Lars Eckerlein, general manager of ABB (China) Ltd

A1: ABB has taken part in the CIIE for five consecutive years since its first edition in 2018. As a major global trade fair promoting globalization and openness, the CIIE is an important forum for ABB to share our latest leading digital technologies and work together with our customers and partners for high-quality development and a more sustainable future.

We are delighted to join the fifth CIIE with the theme of "Partner of Choice for Sustainable Development". ABB showcases more than 40 innovative products and digital solutions in smart energy, smart industry, smart city and green transportation, promoting energy efficiency and supporting China's sustainability and high-quality development.

A2: Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 challenges, more than 280 Fortune Global 500 and industry-leading enterprises participate in the event, showing their trust in the cooperation platform of the CIIE and confidence in the long-term prospects of the Chinese market. I believe this year's CIIE will continue to play a significant role in accelerating the recovery of global economy and contributing to an open world economy.

A3: The Chinese economy has shown its strength and resilience amid multiple challenges. Its steady growth has made a sustained contribution to the global economy. China remains an important stabilizer and driving force for world economic recovery.

China also remains a hot investment destination. We noticed that foreign direct investment into the Chinese mainland expanded 15.6 percent year-on-year in the first nine months. Specifically, FDI in high-tech manufacturing rose 48.6 percent. This is not only a reflection of China's efforts to optimize its business environment, but also a confirmation of the country's innovation-driven growth in the pursuit of high-quality development.

A4: China's digital upgrade and green transition bring us more opportunities. We have witnessed remarkable economic progress in innovation and digital transformation in China over the past decades. We greatly appreciate China's pursuit of high-quality development, its focus on strengthening the foundation for the real economy and its commitment to peaking carbon emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.

A5: We welcome China's continuous efforts toward opening-up and reform. Both digital transformation and sustainable development require cross-border cooperation. ABB is committed to driving industrial transformation and enabling sustainable development through wider collaboration with all our stakeholders. This is also why we have actively taken part in the CIIE event for five consecutive years.

Chen Yudong, president of Bosch China

A1: Bosch is participating in the China International Import Expo for the fifth consecutive year. We value and appreciate this broad platform as it provides us with a channel to better understand local consumers while promoting the Bosch brand and innovations.

Bosch brings its latest innovations to the CIIE every year, and many of them are developed locally for the local market or their debut in China.

A2: The CIIE offers a good channel for companies and countries to explore business opportunities and strengthen economic cooperation and trade despite challenges and uncertainties.

We believe the Chinese market holds tremendous opportunities to promote high-quality development, and Bosch will continue to develop local expertise, especially in strategic growth areas such as electrification, hydrogen, fuel cells, artificial intelligence and the IoT.

A3: China is playing an ever-greater role in the world. Take the automotive industry as an example — the Chinese market is leading the transformation toward electrified and connected mobility.

Through our participation in previous CIIEs, we successfully converted exhibits into commodities. Take auto products as an example. Over 1 million units of the 48-volt direct current converter, which was exhibited in 2018, have been produced since 2019.The iBooster, unveiled in 2019, now serves demand not only in China, but also across the entire Asia-Pacific market.

A4: Focusing on electrification and the intelligent trends in the auto market, new investments by Bosch this year include the establishment of the Asia-Pacific Software Center for Commercial Vehicle Steering Systems in Jinan, Shandong province, early this year. In addition, the new Bosch Huayu Steering System R&D Center Phase II will soon be completed and put into operation in Wuhan, Hubei province, while the Bosch Cross-Domain Computing Solutions (Shanghai) R&D Center will be inaugurated this month; and finally, phase II of Bosch's united automotive electronic systems' Taicang plant is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2023 in Jiangsu province.

A5: The globalization of trade and production remains important to us. We fully support China's further opening-up. Bosch will continue to invest in new technologies and do its best to support China's high-quality development in key strategic areas like manufacturing, mobility, carbon neutrality and other business sectors.

Yin Zheng, executive vice-president of Schneider Electric and president of Schneider Electric China

A1: The annual CIIE demonstrates the continuous efforts and long-lasting determination of the Chinese government to further open up and build a benign business environment, which greatly strengthens our confidence in further growth in China.

In 2022, through the CIIE platform, Schneider Electric expects to show our leading digital technologies, advanced software portfolio and comprehensive services. Joining hands with Chinese partners, we are committed to accelerating the digitalization and decarbonization transformation of industries in China and marching forward on the way to a green future together.

A2: The CIIE has become a prestige platform for communication and mutual benefits for enterprises and organizations from all over the world, and it provides strong motivation for global economic recovery. In the past five years, Schneider Electric has been greatly impressed with the rapid upgrades of the Chinese market and the continuous optimization of the innovation environment, with the CIIE as one of the strongest testimonials. All these factors have enabled us to plant deep roots in China with stronger confidence and momentum.

A3: China's rapid economic development and opening-up have been powering the global economy. Meanwhile, with the rapid development of its innovation and technology, more and more "Chinese wisdom" is exported to the global market and exerting influence in the world, which strengthens enterprises operating in China to compete globally. China has already become the source of innovation for Schneider Electric. Our Chinese R&D engineers have increased by 30 percent in the past three years, more than 50 percent of which focus on digital R&D.

A4: To achieve the dual carbon goals and keep improving production efficiency at the same time, Chinese industries are undergoing a dual transformation toward digitalization and sustainability, which has raised the emerging need for innovative, green and digital solutions, and has brought numerous opportunities for Schneider Electric to further grow in China. Schneider Electric has also been practicing sustainability for decades with our own technologies and has gained rich experience to empower other enterprises and organizations.

A5: China has continued to expand opening-up, build up a benign business environment, increase the protection of intellectual property rights and foster innovation in recent years, which has strengthened our confidence in long-term development. In particular, China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) and the Long-Range Objectives through the Year 2035 all highlight further opening-up for win-win cooperation, which has provided a fertile ground for Schneider Electric to continue to invest in China.

Jasper Ang, president of Fortive Asia

A1: The CIIE is more than an expo. It is a great place to meet outstanding players from within and across industries. We can learn from diverse perspectives and exchanges, and inspire thought-provoking ideas. Throughout the five years of the CIIE, our approach to presenting at the show evolves too — from products and operations to solutions and innovations. This year, we are focusing on our four key segment solutions — industry 4.0, data centers, green energy and advanced healthcare. We look forward to exploring more opportunities to contribute to China's high-quality development blueprint.

A2: The CIIE demonstrates confidence in the economy, with the aim to provide more opportunities for international companies to explore China's market and bolster global trade. China's economy secured growth against headwinds, showing great resilience. It is the first major economy to return to growth from the economic fallout of COVID-19. Looking forward, there remain significant opportunities for growth potential with unparalleled market size.

A3: The CIIE demonstrates China's promise and practice of opening-up, together with building up a modern industrial system, and accelerating new infrastructure development. The opening-up measures announced at the CIIE aim to turn the Chinese market into a global market, shared by all and accessible to all. It is a great example of building a more inclusive economy collectively. At Fortive, we have the vision to build a sustainable future for all with our essential technologies. We appreciate the opportunity to meet our customers, prospects, partners and other exhibitors, to accelerate growth and build a positive impact for a stronger, safer and smarter world together.

A4: China is committed to the people-centered philosophy of development and strives to further improve people's livelihoods by pursuing high-quality development. That is our vision at Fortive too. From smart office buildings and universities to high-tech construction sites and warehouses, we deliver advanced instrumentation and software to optimize performance. In order to support engineers and product developers, our precision technologies also help solve tough technical challenges to accelerate breakthroughs in a wide range of applications.

A5: The continued opening-up of the Chinese market and its immense energy have given us great confidence to invest further. In the future, we would like to explore more opportunities to partner with local customers, to contribute to China's high-quality development strategy and key infrastructure projects centering on industry 4.0, data centers, green energy and advanced healthcare.

Arnold Li, senior vice-president of Ingersoll Rand

A1: This is the fifth time for Ingersoll Rand to participate in the CIIE. We are a CIIE "veteran". The expo has become one of the most important events on Ingersoll Rand's annual calendar. It is such a great place to connect with our customers and our partners that at every CIIE, we unveil one or more of our most innovative products and technologies to the Chinese market.

As the CIIE has already become a bridge and platform for multinational companies to develop their business in China and for Chinese companies to go global, we believe that the expo will further unleash China's opportunities and demonstrate the huge potential of the Chinese market for foreign investors.

A2: As the COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected the global economy over the past two years, we believe the CIIE will play a vital role for global companies in demonstrating their most innovative products and relevant solutions to the Chinese market, which is also a platform for exhibitors to explore opportunities to team up with trading partners across other countries. This shows China's advocacy for openness and cooperation in the global economy.

By holding the CIIE for five years, China has brought an increasing number of cooperation opportunities for companies and organizations around the world. Thanks to this well-developed platform, more countries have integrated and been connected in the global industrial chain and shared growth opportunities.

A3: After years of development, China has become an engine for global economic growth. For instance, with a complete industrial chain, competitive labor force and well-developed infrastructure facilities, the country has provided solid and reliable support to ensure the operation of the world's supply chain over the past two years. As China continues to upgrade its manufacturing capabilities, it will actively contribute to the world's technological and economic development.

A4: The Chinese market is one of the most important markets for our group. We are currently running a number of manufacturing bases in the country and established an R&D center in Shanghai last year. We will continue to strengthen our innovation capability, work closely with local suppliers and partners, and take practical actions to support China's economic transformation and industrial upgrading.

A5: For us, China's opening-up can contribute to a strong market for the world, as it brings high-quality resources such as capital, information, talent and industrial resources to many countries. China's further opening-up will not only lead to the recovery of the global economy and trade, but also enable its economy to maintain a long-term positive trend.