A France-headquartered Global Fortune 500 company is leveraging its technical advantages to enhance the new materials industry chain in Dengfeng City, central China's Henan Province, and has expressed optimism about future development due to the city's favorable business environment.
19 years ago, Saint-Gobain, a manufacturer of a wide variety of building materials, established its first factory in Dengfeng, capitalizing on the region's transportation advantages, abundant mineral resources, and numerous upstream industrial enterprises. Today, the factory in Dengfeng is expanding by laying out new facilities and building additional production lines, achieving a total output value of 470 million yuan (approximately 66 million U.S. dollars) last year.
"We have three (factories) in Henan Province, and as always, when we come and when we invest in provinces in China, we feel a strong support from the local authorities and from the government," said Anthony Lopez, Asia-Pacific Communication Director of Saint-Gobain.
Lopez explained that the decision to establish a factory in Dengfeng was influenced by the presence of numerous car manufacturers and electric vehicle manufacturers, which are their primary clients.
"You (Henan) have a lot of car manufacturers and EV car manufacturers, so Saint-Gobain has different companies supplying those EV car-makers. So it's very important for us that we are also close to them when we established a manufacturing site," said Lopez.
Saint-Gobain produces highly wear-resistant abrasive grains from a material called corundum, which is primarily composed of alumina sourced from the local aluminum processing industry in Dengfeng.
The company's continued presence has helped to drive the local new materials industry chain in the city. In 2023, the output value of the new materials industry in Dengfeng exceeded 3 billion yuan (about 421.9 million U.S. dollars).
"Saint-Gobain is very strong on renovation and this is a very important part to become carbon neutral. If China wants to become carbon neutral, they need to renovate the houses and the building to make them more sustainable and for this we offer high performance solutions. So the future of Saint-Gobain in China, I believe, is very bright," Lopez said.
French company drives new materials industry as factories integrate with China's supply chains
Smaller cities in China are enhancing their healthcare services to align with global standards, aiming to better serve both local residents and the community of international visitors and expatriates.
Deqing in east China's Zhejiang Province has been managing to improve its healthcare services to keep up with global standards to better serve the expatriates living and working in the city.
As global medical tourism grows, China's healthcare system is drawing attention from expats worldwide. Known for its efficiency and innovation, the system is no longer confined to metropolises. Smaller county-level regions like Deqing are now making significant inroads on the international stage.
From language support to personalized plans, local medical institutions such as Deqing People's Hospital has offered satisfying treatment to many foreigners including David Burrows, an Australian English teacher at Deqing Qiushi Senior High School.
"I came into this hospital here. I knew there was an international department here and the staff could speak English. So I was comfortable about coming here and they were able to help me out in terms of the next step which was to get a biopsy done. And so, once the biopsy was going to take a little bit of time, so I did shoot back to Australia, hoping I could get it done there and concerned that I might have cancer and the results being negative. So I came back to Australia, but the term was going to be quite long in Australia. So I decided that to be better to come back to China because the procedure could be done here much faster and I was confident with the facilities here being able to do that," said Burrows.
"The treatment plan I set up for David is pretty much the same as what he got in Australia, which is great because it boosts his confidence in us. Plus, getting medical care here is very convenient. Everything runs smoothly, and we keep the lines of communication open and quick. Because of that, when he chose to come back for surgery, he mentioned that he's totally at ease with us handling any of his future health concerns," said Zhao Weiping, a senior urologist at the International Healthcare Center of Deqing People's Hospital.
Burrows also went to the hospital's Traditional Chinese Medicine Department to address his sleep issues.
Experiencing the blend of modern and traditional Chinese medicine gave Burrows a deeper appreciation for the diversity of China's healthcare system, while also letting him feel a sense of warmth that goes beyond borders.
"Healthcare knows no borders. No matter where our patients come from, we provide the same level of care to everyone. Even though we're a county-level city, we're highly internationalized. We're constantly working to improve our facilities and services -- for example, our staff are always improving their language skills. Through these efforts, we hope to give our international friends in Deqing access to top-quality medical care, so they can live and work here with peace of mind," said He Aifen, director of the Deqing County Health Bureau.
China's smaller cities upgrade healthcare services to align with global standards
