Foreign investors upbeat about Chinese market potential

Foreign investors are displaying unwavering confidence in the Chinese market with new plans to either expand their production capacities or embark on fresh investment projects to make deep engagement in China's economic development.

In the just concluded Central Economic Work Conference held in Beijing on Wednesday and Thursday, Chinese leaders outlined key tasks for 2025, one of which is expanding high-standard opening up and keeping foreign trade and foreign investment stable.

One notable example is the Grundfos Group from Denmark, a renowned global pump manufacturing enterprise. Since their initial foray into China in 1995, the group has been actively involved in the construction of nearly 40 large and medium-sized airports across the country. In a recent achievement at the just-completed third-phase expansion project of Xi'an Xianyang International Airport, Grundofos collaborated with local enterprises to contribute to propelling the airport towards a greener, more sustainable future.

"In Xi'an airport's phase three project, Groundfos provided 47 sets of intelligent pump skids and more than 80 sets of pumps and control solutions to ultimately optimize the energy efficiency, significantly reducing operational energy consumption," said John Markmann, President of Grundfos China.

In March this year, the Grundfos Group officially launched a high-end manufacturing project in Changshu City, Jiangsu Province, with a total investment of 100 million U.S. dollars, and is continuously increasing its investment. The group aims to invest in and construct a new factory in China next year.

The medical sector is one of the areas in which China is further opening up, presenting opportunities for both domestic and foreign pharmaceutical companies.

In early December, French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi announced an investment of around one billion euros to establish a new production base in Beijing. This move not only marks Sanofi's largest single investment in China but also represents the first time a multinational pharmaceutical company has positioned itself in China's biopharmaceutical raw material production industry.

"This will be something that we will be extremely proud of. But people will be envious of China having it and the government made it possible. It's a huge investment for us, but it's the right thing to do," said Paul Hudson，CEO of Sanofi.

Hudson further mentioned that the newly built insulin production base will expand local production capacity, focusing on meeting the insulin medication needs of local patients, thereby enhancing the stability and resilience of the supply chain in China's medical and health sector.

Foreign investors upbeat about Chinese market potential

China has unveiled a new species of early Jurassic dinosaur, with a somewhat well-preserved fossil of it discovered in southwest China's Yunnan province, the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) announced recently.

Named Lishulong wangi, the fossil represents one of the largest known early sauropods from the region.

The well-preserved specimen, which includes an intact skull and nine cervical vertebrae, was unearthed in 2007 in the Chuanjie Basin of Yunnan's Lufeng City.

"(The fossil) was discovered in the back hills of Dalishu Village, and, after years of studies, named Lishulong wangi. The name is to commemorate a man named 'Wang Zhengju' who discovered Lufengpithecus fossils. So, the newly discovered fossil has been named after Mr. Wang Zhengju," said Wang Tao, director of Dinosaur Fossil Conservation and Research Center under Lufeng's Department of Natural Resources.

Scientists from the IVPP have classified Lishulong wangi as an early-branching sauropodomorph, closely related to Yunnanosaurus.

The skull alone measures about 40 centimeters in length, making it the largest of its kind found in the Lufeng Formation.

This discovery increased the diversity of dinosaurs in southwest China, and improved the understanding of the evolution of early differentiated sauropods.

"Its skull and cervical spine are better preserved. It would have been about eight meters long when it was alive," Wang said.

The fossil is now on public display at an exhibition hall in the Lufeng Dinosaur Valley.

Chinese scientists discover new early Jurassic dinosaur species in southwest China's Yunnan