When you hear or see the words "cross/across," what pops up in your mind?
A hurdler sprinting across the track? An unexpected crossover of different fields? A vibrant cross culture blending on a global scale? Or perhaps a magnificent bridge stretching across blue waters? Before your imagination runs wild, let's take a moment to dive into the dynamic world of the upcoming Qingdao Multinationals Summit.
Crossing Time
In 1987, new names like KFC, Nestlé Coffee, and Motorola made their debut in China. That same year, Henkel Loctite from Germany set up a branch in Yantai, Shandong, becoming the first multinational enterprise in the province. Thirty-eight years has passed and now, Shandong has become a magnet for foreign investment, home to over 19,000 foreign-invested enterprises.
On the shores of the Bohai Sea, waves of progress continue to surge. Launched in 2019, the Qingdao Multinationals Summit will soon hold its sixth edition, as more and more global companies are forging two-way partnerships with Shandong.
Crossing Space
In Qingdao, the host city of the summit, AstraZeneca from the UK has shown unwavering confidence by increasing its investment for three consecutive years, reaching a total of US$750 million. In Chinese myths, Penglai, part of Yantai in Shandong, is believed to be the place from where the Eight Immortals decided to go across the sea with their special powers. Today, global giants are arriving here. In July 2022, Air Liquide's Yantai manufacturing base was completed, becoming Penglai's first Fortune Global 500 project.
In Rizhao, after both the first and second phases of ZF Group's production base reached full capacity, one out of every six cars in China will carry airbags produced here, and one in seventeen will feature a steering wheel made here.
Enabling you to understand China, invest in China, achieve success in China, the Qingdao Multinationals Summit has become a key platform for sharing China's development opportunities and connecting global resources.
These numbers are strong echoes of the sound of cross-phase development.
Since its inception, the summit has welcomed 421 Fortune Global 500 companies and 967 industry leaders. Over 470 multinational delegates have confirmed attendance at this year's summit in Qingdao, including 102 first-time participants, accounting for 22% of the total. It is a clear signal that more and more global businesses are casting their vote of confidence in the Chinese economy.
Under the theme of "Connecting the World for Win-Win Cooperation", let's join hands to make the Summit bridge the world across mountains and oceans, and create enormous potential for new opportunities!
Reporter：Dong Guangqiang
Translator：Gao Jiamu （Intern）
