Tech companies seek collaboration

Expo part of commitment to import $10 trillion worth of goods and services in next five years

Global intelligent equipment and high-tech manufacturers are seeking to strengthen cross-industry collaboration with local partners during the China International Import Expo.

They are also pinning great hopes on leveraging the event to demonstrate their leading technologies and services to meet rising demand, executives said.

Holding a firm belief that China's pursuit of further opening-up will continue, business leaders said they anticipate fresh growth momentum in the market.

Daryoush Ziai, CEO of Schindler Group Zone China, said, "As the fourth industrial revolution is now coming, we are looking for more cross-industry cooperation opportunities and we also want to use this stage to make the public aware of Schindler's leading technology to achieve smart urban mobility."

Ziai said CIIE will become an important factor energizing modern industry's development.

Schindler, based in Switzerland, is one of the leading providers of elevators, escalators, moving sidewalks and related services, including installation, maintenance and modernization.

At the ongoing expo, the company is exhibiting a new technology solution－Schindler Ahead－which can connect all products to the internet, capture real-time data and use big data analysis and artificial intelligence to predict maintenance needs.

Such a solution, Ziai said, can change the existing mode of maintenance and repair, providing better, more reliable service to customers, property management companies and end-users.

CIIE, which started in Shanghai on Monday, is the first Chinese fair focusing exclusively on imported goods and services. It has attracted thousands of companies from around the world, including some on the Fortune Global 500 list.

"CIIE is a great opportunity for the company to demonstrate our technology leadership to a broader audience," said Su Hua, president of Infineon Technologies China. Infineon is a semiconductor company based in Germany.

"It also helps to enhance our communications with local government and strengthen our collaboration with Chinese partners. We are convinced that it can bring attractive business opportunities to all of us."

That sentiment was echoed by Clay Nesler, vice-president at Johnson Controls, a global diversified technology company based in the United States.

Nesler said Johnson Controls hopes the inaugural CIIE will kick-start a period of rapid growth for the company in the Chinese market.

It is showcasing leading smart building technologies, products and solutions at the expo. CIIE is part of China's long-term commitment to import $10 trillion worth of goods and services in the next five years, a goal unveiled by the Ministry of Commerce in November last year.

According to the General Administration of Customs, China's imports amounted to 10.42 trillion yuan ($1.5 trillion) from January to September, an increase of 14.1 percent year-on-year.

In the same period, the value of exports rose 6.5 percent, as the country's total foreign trade volume jumped 9.9 percent year-on-year to 22.28 trillion yuan.

Business leaders said they have enjoyed rich opportunities in the world's second-largest economy since its launch of reform and opening-up 40 years ago, and looked forward to more substantial opening-up measures.

Dating back to the establishment of the first industrial joint venture in 1980, Schindler Group has been very active in infrastructure projects in China. Landmark projects have included the Shanghai Tower, the 2010 Expo China Pavilion, the China World Trade Center Tower 3 and the National Stadium.

In the future, the company will place more emphasis on the opportunities and challenges brought about by urbanization and an aging population, as well as aging buildings, Ziai said, adding that the company is confident about China's economic development.

Nesler said, "China's reform and opening-up have achieved tremendous success during the past four decades. We believe that the pursuit of further opening-up will never rest. Urban competitiveness will be high on the agenda as China opens up further."

He said Johnson Controls sees outstanding opportunities for growth in areas such as environmental conservation, including energy-saving, reduced-emissions and high-efficiency operations.

He Wei contributed to this story.