New Zealand co-operative highlights CIIE as key platform for adapting to China's evolving market

The China International Import Expo (CIIE), a showcase of China's commitment to openness, serves as a vital platform for foreign companies to understand the latest trends in the Chinese market, and attending this prestigious event is essential for exploring the vast opportunities that China offers, according to Miles Hurrell, CEO of Fonterra, a New Zealand-based dairy co-operative.

In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Hurrell emphasized that the CIIE is crucial for companies aiming to adapt their products to meet the needs of the Chinese market, one of Fonterra’s most significant markets globally.

"CIIE is a showcase of China's willingness to be open and as you say, it's an important market for us, a very important market. And it's great to see our products here on show, talking to our customers and our consumers in this environment to understand what's on their front of mind. But a lot of the development, or the innovation might have been thought about in New Zealand, but what we do is we bring it into the Chinese market. We have six application centers now around China where we adapt it for local flavors and local tastes, and we've got those on show here over the next few days. And so, as I say, bringing those to life in the Chinese market is something that excites us, and we're really pleased to be here," said Hurrell.

Speaking about the Chinese market, Hurrell noted that China exemplifies the pace of change, making it essential for Fonterra to stay ahead of emerging trends. He stressed the importance of attending the CIIE to keep up with these developments.

"One thing about China -- and we have the luxury, of course, of being a global company and a lot of markets -- but the one thing that always strikes me about China is the pace of change. And so, we are in our seventh year here at CIIE. And every year the trends and the tastes are continuing to change. So, we've got to be one step ahead. But one of the things we're really seeing this year's is a focus on sustainability, a focus on nutrition and well-being. And those are things that have been bubbling away for a while, but we're really starting to see them amplified in more recent times," said Hurrell.

The CEO also highlighted that China's new phase of high-quality development aligns well with Fonterra's focus on sustainability and innovation -- two core pillars of the company's strategy. He believes that with these shared goals, Fonterra has great opportunities to expand in the Chinese market.

"Your focus on sustainability and a focus on innovation are two of the key pillars of the Fonterra's strategy, so it's dear to our heart, it's what we live and breathe every day. And so, we think we've got a great opportunity to bring those to life here in the Chinese market. The pasture-based farming system we operate, the way we care for our cows in New Zealand -- we think there is a great opportunity to bring that into the Chinese market, along with innovation around healthy aging and a focus on nutrition and protein in the diet. And so those things together are very much aligned to the Chinese ambition," he said.

The CIIE is the world's first national-level exposition dedicated to imports. Running from November 5 to 10 under the theme of "New Era, Shared Future," the 7th CIIE has attracted participants from 152 countries, regions and international organizations to participate in its country exhibition and business exhibition.

New Zealand co-operative highlights CIIE as key platform for adapting to China's evolving market

German auto giant Volkswagen is confident in exploring more development opportunities in the dynamic Chinese auto market as it looks to strengthen its partnerships and joint ventures in China as the industry goes through a huge tech transition, according to a company executive.

Stefan Mecha, CEO of the Volkswagen China Passenger Cars Brand, shared his insights on the brand's future plans and innovation capabilities, and gave his assessment of the current global auto market in a recent interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN).

"When you look at this year, there are some markets in the world that go sideways. Europe [is] pretty much on the same level than last year - 12 million cars in total. The U.S. and China are pretty much on the same growth trajectory, around three percent, so I think that's good. Also, thanks to all the measures that the government has put on the road, so I think that's really positive," he said.

The Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) market is becoming increasingly competitive, with traditional industry leaders pursuing transformation while a host of new entrants are looking to make their mark in the sector.

Noting these fast-paced developments, Mecha also re-affirmed his company's commitment to the China market, pointing to China's huge growth potential and noting Volkswagen's long-standing presence in the country which stretches back four decades.

"We truly believe that China is one of the few markets that will really substantially grow over the next years. We believe on average three or three and a half percent, so that by 2030 we land at around 29-30 million cars," he said.

"We have shaped mobility in China for 40 years, so our plan is also to continue the next 40 years, so we really have a strong feeling about the market," he added.

While NEVs and particularly electric cars gain more popularity among consumers, Mecha emphasized that advancing technological features is key to the brand’s development, while stressing it still has strong focus on the traditional fossil-fueled vehicles.

"A lot of intelligent connected features come into play. So, for us, this has two challenges. Number one, the backbone of our business in China is still the ICE, the combustion engine cars. What we are doing now is really to bring these cars into the era of intelligent connected vehicles, because that's really key. The customers demand this. You clearly see that these cars have all the tech features [like] autonomous driving, pillar-to-pillar display," he said.

Looking ahead, Mecha noted the company is gearing up to unveil 16 new models over the next two years, with 2026 also set to be a "big year" as Volkswagen prepares to launch several new cars in its expanding electric vehicle range.

"I think this is something which is natural in the market that was so quickly growing. Now, also, the technology feature stabilizes. So, this is why we are very confident with all the models that we bring in 2026, in close connection with our joint ventures. So, the building block that we had over 40 years [in China] remains with strong joint venture partners. And we have added one more layer, which is the tech ecosystem. With the transition that this market undergoes, we also need to rework our business model. We learned this in the past - cooperations, partnerships, joint ventures are pivotal to achieve great in the market and we continue doing so," said Mecha.

Volkswagen remains committed to dynamic Chinese auto market: executive