STORY: Global enterprises share insights and future trends on Chinese market
SHOOTING TIME: Feb. 12-19, 2025
DATELINE: Feb. 26, 2025
LENGTH: 00:04:57
LOCATION: Beijing
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. STANDUP (English): WU YAO, Xinhua correspondent
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): RICK KOZLOSKI, President of Alcon China
3. various of Alcon's business in China
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): SHAIKH MUHAMMAD SHARIQ, Chief Representative of National Bank of Pakistan Beijing Office
5. various of National Bank of Pakistan's business in China
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): ILJA POEPPER, VP of Sales, Marketing & Owners Relations at Kempinski Greater China & Mongolia

STORYLINE:

STANDUP (English): WU YAO, Xinhua correspondent
"In 2024, China achieved a GDP growth of 5 percent, meeting the government's full-year target. How did foreign enterprises perform in China last year? And look ahead into 2025, what are some new trends and opportunities that they aim to seize in the Chinese market? I invited 3 multinational executives to share their insights as we delve into the Chinese market from different industries."

Alcon is a Swiss pharmaceutical and medical device company specializing in eye care products. The Chinese market holds a key position in its global strategy.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): RICK KOZLOSKI, President of Alcon China
"China is one of the most important markets to Alcon. Actually this year we'll be celebrating our 30th anniversary here in China. And it's one of the fastest-growing markets that we have. When you look at our surgical business, China is the No. 2 market in the world for Alcon.

One that was really important to me and the team here in China was our Wavelight Plus. We introduced it at the CIIE (China International Import Expo) in 2023. And it was the debut for Wavelight Plus globally.

What I've been very pleased with is how CIIE provides us with the opportunity through the spillover effect to increase the awareness of Alcon. We've had numerous product approvals and introductions over the last 2 years. We've grown and we've become a very, I think, successful company here in China based on the business environment and the policies that have allowed us to do that, like I'm sure many other multinationals.

When you look at the economic growth and in particular in the healthcare sector, I think some of the strong policies have helped to continue to stimulate that growth, the Healthy (China) 2030, the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025). I think it fits well in our strategy to continue, really, ultimately to help people see brilliantly."

The National Bank of Pakistan has branches in many financial centers of the world. The Beijing representative office was established in 1981.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): SHAIKH MUHAMMAD SHARIQ, Chief Representative of National Bank of Pakistan Beijing Office
"We are maintaining relationships with the Chinese financial institutions and helping the Chinese companies who want to do business in Pakistan, and we are helping the trade and investing activities between the two countries.

2024 was a very successful year. We signed an MOU for 20 billion RMB (about 2.8 billion USD) with a Chinese company, a Chinese investment fund to facilitate the relocation of industries in Pakistan.

The CPEC, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, is also considered as the flagship project of BRI. For our bank, because there were huge investments made in different projects. So it has helped us in diversifying our portfolio in different projects.

I'm in China for the last many years, so I'm witnessing the opening up that China has offered to the overseas world in different sectors, especially in the financial sector. It offers a lot of opportunities for the overseas institutions to come to China and work here and it will be a win-win cooperation."

Kempinski is a luxury hotel group from Europe. It opened the first European five-star hotel in Beijing in 1992.

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): ILJA POEPPER, VP of Sales, Marketing & Owners Relations at Kempinski Greater China & Mongolia
"We have a joint venture here in China. We thought about we should have a brand with a Chinese DNA. And that is when we started to think about a Chinese brand. Nuo Jin is the Chinese name. For Chinese customers, it's a pride to go there. And for international customers, I think it's a journey to learn more about Chinese art, to learn more about Chinese craftsmanship. And of course, to learn more about Chinese culinary.

The economy hotels are growing very fast and they have very nice products. And the digital world is where the young people are shopping in, and China is much more developed in the sector. If you look at the digital performance for 2024, we have an amazing growth of over 30 to 40 percent. That is only on my digital channels.

We are very proud to be in China, because it's also as I just said, strategically China is a place you should better be. And that's why so many other hotel groups are coming to China. We were the first luxury European (hotel) group in China. Now you have many international hotel groups, luxury, economy, all kinds of hotel groups in China. So China's growth already is quite high compared to the world growth of GDP. So where is growth is where people want to invest. As we say, in German, that's where the music plays."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Beijing.
(XHTV)