Editor's note: Despite global uncertainties and the lingering economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, China plans to achieve GDP growth of over 6 percent, create new urban jobs and reduce energy consumption as it enters the 14th Five-Year Plan period this year.

China Daily spoke to senior executives from multinational corporations to get their views on key macroeconomic policies, potential growth opportunities, and how their businesses can benefit from and contribute to a more prosperous China.

Q1：China has embarked on a "new development stage" according to government officials. Do you anticipate any significant changes to your strategy in the country in the long run as a result of the change?

Q2：What are the key takeaways for your company from the 14th Five-Year Plan and the 2035 long-term development goal? How will your company adapt to China's new growth paradigm?

Q3：What are your views on China's plan to achieve self-sufficiency in key technologies? Do you see your company playing a key role in fostering healthy international cooperation and in supporting the country's indigenous research and development efforts?

Q4：What are your views on the new opening-up initiatives like the updated negative list in free trade zones and the steps to boost foreign investment and economic recovery?

Q5：China has announced an ambitious goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. Do you think these goals are in line with your sustainable development strategy and how does your company plan to support the country's efforts?

A1: If the rapid growth of China's economy in the past 40 years mainly resulted from the benefits of the transition from a planned economy to a market economy, then for the years to come, it is a new consensus that the medium and high-speed growth of China's economy will mainly rely on the efficiency improvements brought about by technological innovations. In the next 10 years, eight technologies, including autonomous driving, machine translation, biological computing, deep learning frameworks, digital city operations, knowledge management, AI chips, and personal intelligent assistants, will undergo a transformation from quantitative change to qualitative change.

Baidu has always insisted that the digital economy is evolving into an intelligent economy driven by artificial intelligence, which will bring profound changes to our economy and social life. Intelligent economy is the new label of China's economy for the next 10 years. Driven by AI platform enterprises, as represented by Baidu, China's intelligent economy will achieve rapid development and embrace the arrival of the intelligent era.

Taking smart transportation as an example, the "ACE Transportation Engine", a smart transportation solution launched by Baidu Apollo, has been put into use in nearly 20 cities, such as Beijing, Changsha, Baoding and Guangzhou. The solution can greatly improve the efficiency of transportation and also boost economic growth.

According to calculations, only the method of software updates and smart transportation infrastructure based on V2X technologies promise to improve traffic efficiency by 15 percent to 30 percent and boost the contribution to GDP by 2.4 percent to 4.8 percent in absolute value.

A2: This year is the first year of the 14th Five-Year Plan. Since the industrial revolution, innovation and efficiency have been an important driving force for the development of the world economy and the improvement of human life. Now, the world is welcoming a new "innovation dividend period", and the intelligent economy driven by artificial intelligence will become one of the new engines of economic development.

Currently, Baidu Brain is China's leading AI production platform integrating software and hardware. As a type of AI-based "new infrastructure" in the intelligent era, Baidu Brain is now seeing strong adoption, with over 2.65 million developers, and has produced more than 270 leading AI capabilities, with daily average use volume exceeding 1 trillion times.

Baidu PaddlePaddle is China's first open-source industrial level deep learning platform with advanced technology and comprehensive functions, and is an "operating system for the intelligent era" independently developed in China. The Kunlun 2 chip independently developed by Baidu will be mass-produced soon, and will be deployed in search, industrial internet, smart transportation, and other areas.

A3: Basic research is the source of technological innovation. Although China's basic research has made remarkable progress, there's still some gaps between that and the advanced international level. The research and development of AI technology needs long-term persistence, and its commercial value cannot be reflected in just a few years. It requires technical personnel to be ambitious, patient, able to bear loneliness, and have a firm belief that they must master this technology.

Baidu is the first enterprise in China to fully invest in AI strategy. We have maintained high investment in technology for a long time. In 2020, Baidu's core R&D expenses accounted for 21.4 percent of its revenue, and its R&D investment intensity is at the forefront of China's large-scale internet technology companies.

After years of investment and accumulation, Baidu has applied for more than 10,000 AI patents, holding the most AI-related patents and filing the most AI-related patent applications of any company or organization in China for three consecutive years.

A5: The fifth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee listed "Carbon emissions will steadily decline after reaching a peak" as its long-term goal for 2035, and proposed to formulate an action plan for peaking carbon emissions before 2030. The 14th Five-Year Plan will be the key period to achieve this goal.

According to a report from the World Resources Institute, carbon dioxide emissions from transportation account for about 9 percent of China's total carbon emissions. According to data from Boston Consulting Group, the average annual growth rate of carbon emissions in China's transportation sector remained above 5 percent from 2013 to 2019.

Moreover, with the acceleration of industrialization and urbanization, and the continuous increase of car ownership per capita and travel demand in China, the total amount of carbon emissions in the transportation sector is expected to continue to rise. The rapid development of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, has greatly enhanced the potential for emissions reduction in the transportation sector.

First, the early realization of large-scale commercialization of autonomous driving is conducive to reducing the carbon intensity of transportation. After years of research and development, the safety of autonomous driving has been preliminarily verified. Large-scale commercial use of autonomous driving will greatly change the mode of urban transportation, and make green and efficient unmanned public transportation replace private cars as the preferred choice for civilians to travel.

Secondly, to realize the informational and intelligent transformation of transportation infrastructure at an early date will improve the perception, calculation, decision-making and dispatching ability of the transportation system in all aspects, thus greatly alleviating traffic congestion, allowing civilians to travel more efficiently and helping to realize the low carbonization of road-network operations. It is estimated that smart transportation infrastructure based on V2X technologies will improve traffic efficiency by 15 percent to 30 percent.

A1: Among the goals related to this new development stage, we are particularly impressed by the Chinese government's specific requirements for the establishment of a modernized economic system, an increase in the nation's innovation capabilities and sustainable development.

At present, China is accelerating its development of "new infrastructure" innate to 5G and other emerging technologies, which will become a new engine for the development of the digital economy. As one of the leaders in 5G, Ericsson will continue to participate in the construction of China's 5G network by applying its advanced 5G technology, products, solutions, services and industry experience. We will work together with telecom operators to build better 5G networks, drive innovative applications of 5G in thousands of industries and provide a better network experience for individual users and businesses.

A2: The 14th Five-Year Plan and 2030 Sustainable Development Goals include new targets for economic development, bold steps in reform and opening up, and new progress in building an ecological civilization, which inspires great confidence and excitement.

Looking back on 129 years of development in the Chinese market, Ericsson is the only communications technology company to participate in the construction of China's telecommunications infrastructure from 1G to 5G. Time has proven that Ericsson is a partner that China can trust. In the future, we will continue this tradition.

A3: China's ambition for self-sufficiency as the world's second-largest economy is to be admired and recognized by the global community.

Ericsson believes that the coexistence of competition and cooperation is a fundamental part of the telecom industry becoming the largest industry in the world. Any technological progress that benefits all of mankind cannot be achieved without the joint efforts of the entire industry chain. Ericsson has always advocated free trade and embraces open competition and cooperation. We will be committed to working with our Chinese friends and partners in promoting innovation, development and progress in the field of communications technology.

A4: In addition to introducing the new FTZ Negative List, the Chinese government also enacted a series of initiatives and polices in 2020 that are aimed at further opening up and encouraging foreign investment. For example, both the implementation of The Foreign Investment Law and the establishment of the dual-circulation development paradigm made significant contributions to boosting the recovery of both the Chinese economy and the global economy, while also increasing foreign investors' confidence and protecting their interests in China.

Based on the paradigm of "dual circulation", MNCs in China will continue to play an important role in China's new journey towards becoming a modern socialist country, while enjoying further domestic growth bolstered by an optimized business environment and tremendous opportunities unleashed by this new development stage.

A5: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected us all, and it has highlighted that we all share the same planet and face the same global challenges. We agree that all sectors of society have a role to play in sustainable development. In this regard, Ericsson is a founding member of the 1.5°C Supply Chain Leaders, a new initiative that unites major multinational corporations to drive exponential climate action across global supply chains.

Furthermore, in our recent "Breaking the energy curve" report, we highlighted a unique network-level approach that enables exponential growth of data traffic without increasing energy consumption. Savings can be achieved by preparing the network with the latest technology solutions, activating energy-saving software, building 5G with precision, and operating site infrastructure intelligently. This approach also reduces the total cost of ownership. We provide support and guidance to businesses of all sizes to help reduce their energy consumption.

A1: China has entered a new development stage in 2021, the first year of its 14th Five-Year Plan. Qualcomm has fully prepared to embrace the new opportunities ahead. First, China is advancing a new development pattern featuring domestic and international "dual circulation". As a connector of the two circles, Qualcomm continues working with our Chinese partners to develop both overseas and domestic markets.

Second, technological innovation is emerging as a new driver of future development. With the advent of information and communication technology, including 5G, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things etc, more opportunities are expected for us to achieve win-win outcomes with the Chinese ecosystem by maximizing every company's resources and advantages.

A2: China's 14th Five-Year Plan and 2035 long-term development goals are prioritizing the development of strategic emerging industries, and we believe the next generation information and communication technology led by 5G will drive future growth in those industries. 5G has been highlighted in China's Government Work Report for five consecutive years, and is expected to expand into virtually every sector of China's economy, enabling integrated innovations and fundamentally transform industries.

Therefore 5G will become a powerful engine for China's innovation-driven development. We feel strongly that the Chinese government's prioritization of digital infrastructure, in particular 5G, will create significant opportunities for Qualcomm to foster more innovations and business success, both locally and abroad with Chinese companies in the ecosystem.

A3: The commitment of China and other major countries to technological innovation contributes significantly to human progress and social development. We believe that indigenous innovation and international collaboration complement each other, which help China gain from the world's leading technologies, while at the same time enables China to benefit the rest of the world through its achievements. We are convinced that outstanding scientists, business leaders and industry players worldwide have the wisdom and vision for achieving mutual benefits and common development. Collaboration is at the heart of this vision.

Qualcomm has established R&D centers and joint innovation centers with many local partners across China. And for over a decade, Qualcomm has supported many Chinese startup companies covering areas ranging from mobile technology and frontier technology, with global market insights and venture investment.

To date, Qualcomm Ventures has invested in over 60 companies in China. We have also been expanding our footprint into various fields, including 5G, AI, internet of things, big data, connected vehicles and extended reality, etc. These fields are expected to become the new engines of innovation and international cooperation for many Chinese companies.

A4: Qualcomm has witnessed, actively participated in and continuously contributed to China's opening-up. We are deeply impressed by how determined China is to foster a world-class business environment. Over the last two decades, China's opening-up initiatives have created broad opportunities and promising prospects for Qualcomm's local development and ecosystem collaborations.

China's commitment to promote higher-level opening-up and strengthen intellectual property rights protection will attract more foreign investment and encourage more Chinese companies to go global. Through advanced technologies and products, value-creating collaborations, long-term investment and our ongoing commitment to fostering a diverse ecosystem, Qualcomm has also benefited from China's opening-up, as our success is closely connected to our partners, industries and local communities. We are encouraged by China's steady economic recovery since the second half of 2020, as well as its policies and determination to drive economic globalization.

A5:China has made remarkable progress in environmental protection and sustainable development. Qualcomm also successfully met or exceeded its 2020 corporate responsibility goals. As we look forward, we have established 2025 quantitative targets for corporate responsibilities. Among these, we will continue to address and improve our environmental performance through greenhouse gas reduction strategies and to reduce power consumption.

In addition, Qualcomm has leadership in technologies that will improve energy efficiency in mobile devices and other applications. For example, the Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything technology that we drive allows vehicles to work closely with traffic signal controllers, ensuring reduction in carbon emissions and optimization of traffic efficiency.

A1: I believe that "dual circulation" serves as a strategic measure that matches with the current national conditions of China. We are supposed to run both domestic and international circulations well, and the "high quality" operation of the former is the premise and foundation. Based on this, we may get engaged in international circulation better and shape a new pattern of "dual circulation".

As a representative of global enterprises benefiting from China's "Going Global" strategy, Lenovo seeks to seize the opportunities out of the economic cycle and technological revolution over its course of development. On the one hand, we will make use of "domestic circulation" to consolidate the foundation of development and safeguard and lead our development with the growth of Chinese market.

On the other hand, we will play an active role in international circulation. We will promote "Made in China" with innovation products, employ Chinese factories to manufacture as we get orders from the global market, and support "Made in China" with the global supply chain. We will make full use of national and international markets and resources to enable "Made in China" to develop stronger in the global market. It can be concluded that Lenovo is a typical representative of "dual circulation" operating enterprises.

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, Lenovo will give full play to its advantages in the full coverage of the core areas of "new infrastructure", the connectivity of both national and international markets and the sharing of factor resources, actively empower the real economy through "New IT", promote a new pattern of dual circulation, and seek to make greater contributions to China's high-quality economic development.

A2: As a representative from high-tech manufacturing enterprises, I am especially expecting "persisting in innovation-driven development and speeding up the development of a modern industrial system" in the development goal of the 14th Five-Year Plan, and "basically realizing new industrialization, informatization, urbanization and agricultural modernization and building a modern economic system" in long-range objectives through the Year 2035.

In my point of view, we need to speed up the deep integration of digital economy and real economy and promote "Made in China" to realize industrial upgrade, which depends on the support and empowering of "New IT" infrastructure. However, the said "IT" is no longer the traditional Information Technology, but Intelligent Transformation.

The so-called "New IT" refers to the technologies, services and solutions needed to empower all walks of life and realize intelligent transformation based on the technical architecture of "terminal (intelligent internet of things terminal) --- edge (edge computing) --- cloud (cloud computing) --- network (5G) --- intelligence (industry-based intelligence)".

In the era of explosive growth of big data, only through the concerted efforts of all elements of "New IT" can data be better transformed into means of production, generate value and become an effective means for empowering high-quality development. I suggest that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, we should empower real economy through "New IT" to realize intelligent transformation in all walks of life.

Such a practice can not only accelerate the transformation of "Made in China" into "Intelligent Manufacturing in China" and enhance the quality and efficiency of the industry, but also enable all walks of life to boost consumption, create new demand and improve domestic circulation with higher quality supply. Only by tamping the foundation of domestic circulation more solidly and forming core competitiveness can we better get enrolled in international circulation and contribute more to the high-quality economic development of China.

A3: The key to laying a solid foundation for key core technologies lies in effectively enhancing the independent innovation capability, improving China's scientific and technological innovation system, and advancing the whole chain layout from basic research, applied research, technological R&D to industrialization. Enterprises can play a very significant role in this regard.

Enterprises are not only the fresh force of innovation, but also the users and beneficiaries of innovative achievements. In my view, during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, enterprises are supposed to give full play to their roles in technological innovation, boost their investment in R&D, and promote the deep integration of production, education and research to comprehensively raise their independent innovation capability.

Leading enterprises should play a leading and supporting role, actively build a technological innovation ecology, gather global talents in scientific research, deepen international cooperation, drive and promote SMEs to realize technological innovation, and seek to realize a virtuous circle among scientific research funding, enterprise R&D and market demand.

Currently, a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is emerging. Under such a big transformation, only by realizing the deep integration of production, education and research, can we further realize the innovation chain, which connects the basic frontier with the R&D and application of key technologies and industrial development, form systematic synergy, and continuously cultivate and expand innovative driving forces.

A5: Lenovo is a company that attaches great importance to sustainable development and has integrated sustainable development into its development. The first generation of our goal toward climate change was formulated 10 years ago. Last year, we optimized the production, operation, supply chain and product life cycle management processes, beating our previously set sustainable development goals.

Compared with the data in the 2009-10 fiscal year, Lenovo has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 92 percent in all businesses in the 2019-20 fiscal year. Lenovo has also expanded its investment in sustainable development operations by implementing energy-saving projects and using renewable energy sources. We currently have a total capacity of 16 megawatts of solar energy installations operating in factories around the world.

Therefore, Lenovo has proposed new targets for the 2029-30 fiscal year — by 2030, a 50 percent cut in the company's operational direct and indirect carbon emissions, and a 25 percent reduction in the carbon emission intensity of some value chains. This goal is set in line with the Science Based Targets Initiative. Lenovo is constantly reassessing its sustainable development projects, exploring the possibility of achieving the goal of net zero emissions by 2050, and making greater contributions to global temperature control.

Compared with traditional high-energy-consuming sectors, technology companies are not the industries with the highest single-point power consumption and huge environmental pollution. However, it is a sector with a long supply chain, complex product characteristics, a wide range of uses, a long usage time, and huge overall power consumption. Through the promotion of the carbon neutral route of the terminal products and the information and communication industry, the green transformation and sustainable development of the entire industrial chain and even upstream raw material suppliers can be guided and promoted.

Combining the current development situation and considering Lenovo's practice, I think technology companies can play a role in the following aspects:

First, actively formulate a long-term low-carbon development strategy and a carbon neutral roadmap, and gradually promote it through green technology innovation.

Second, use the big data information platform to promote green data verification and evaluation of industry enterprises.

Third, strengthen source governance to drive low-carbon and green development of the supply chain.

A1: The past year has indeed been a turning point for China and China's position in the world: the country has successfully brought the COVID-19 pandemic under control; after two years of tensions with the US, it has adopted a new concept of "dual circulation", combining self-sustainability domestically and higher added value in exports; China in 2020 has succeeded in its fight against absolute poverty.

The country has also succeeded in maintaining, and even expanding, its position as the manufacturing and export powerhouse of the world, thanks to the strong resilience of its supply chain and its industrial and logistics ecosystem, while the rest of the world was enduring the painful consequences of the pandemic.

We expect a significant change in the formulation of the objectives for China going forward: no growth target in the 14th Five-Year Plan, and less binding objectives, also reflecting the uncertainty in a still COVID-19-dominated world. Deemphasizing growth is emblematic of the new course toward a more qualitative development: catching up in key technologies and reducing dependency on foreign patents and industrials.

The increase in an already high R&D spending, and the emphasis on scientific and technological innovation, particularly with breakthrough technologies e.g., quantum computing, also demonstrates a China preparing a better future and leveraging its powerful domestic market.

A2: The most striking long-term objective for China is the pledge toward a net-carbon zero country by 2060. So far, the 14th Five-Year Plan is setting a 18 percent reduction in carbon emission intensity of GDP growth over the period, which is in line with previous plan objectives. China therefore remains committed to the Paris agreement goal, an endeavor that many countries are not meeting these days, which is worth noting. The plan, however, is setting a more ambitious energy intensity objective, which will affect the way every industrial and commercial facility is planning its operations in the next five years.

Given the amount of coal that China is starting with, carbon capture and storage is highlighted as one of the technologies that China must pioneer to meet its objectives. Along with hydrogen, we can expect that China will take the lead in piloting, demonstrating and hopefully making some innovations commercially and industrially viable. While this remains to be seen, the magnitude of the carbon neutralization challenge in China suggests that many companies, domestic and foreign, can leverage the audacious objective to develop new approaches and roll them out to the world.

A3: In line with the "dual circulation" strategy, China is setting up ambitious objectives for the development of domestic technologies and industrial resources, particularly in areas where it is still somewhat dependent on foreign resources. This, of course, is partly meant to curb vulnerabilities revealed by the unilateral US measures against Chinese companies. But this is also emblematic of a new stage of development where China is gradually claiming leadership in areas needed to support its own domestic development as well as contributing to maintain globalization, in a more multi-polar approach.

The advantages of a planned economy are clear: determined establishment of new R&D platforms and laboratories, increase collaboration between public research and SOEs/POEs, accelerate development of 5G infrastructure to enable faster development of use cases, including artificial intelligence in the areas of mobility, healthcare, etc.

While the focus on developing indigenous technologies might sound controversial internationally, it should on the contrary stem new opportunities for investment in China, to support this new phase of development. Given the size and the growth of the Chinese market in consumer as well as industrial products alike, localizing supply chains, and/or integrating them in ASEAN + China/Korea and Japan.

A4: For the last few years, the negative list and the FTZ negative lists have continuously been reduced, further opening up new sectors for investments. In FTZ, the reduction of items has always served as pilots for more general opening, therefore any signal of new trials is positive, and is interpreted as such by foreign investors. In the last two years, Roland Berger has consulted with many clients sometimes addressing an ambiguous positioning issue with China: on the one hand, China is quite often one of the biggest outlets for product and services, as well as a sizeable supply chain contributor.

Yet, US-China trade war and associated tariffs and company bans, and uncertainties created by a more sophisticated, more competitive Chinese market, seeking less dependency on foreign technologies, have cast some doubts in corporate boardrooms. The resilience of the Chinese supply base in 2020, the strong recovery of the Chinese market as an outlet, and its perspective of growth, encourage further investments in China, for China. We already see it happening with Roland Berger's multinational clients in the specialty chemical, packaging, automotive equipment and software, aerospace equipment, medical devices sectors, for example.

A5: China's pledge toward a net-carbon zero China by 2060 is a major milestone in the fight against climate change and positions China as a role model. We expect a more precise agenda for the execution of this pledge in the coming years, while the 14th Five-year Plan already has set a slightly more ambitious energy intensity reduction objective. We believe that China's pledge will play a major role, domestically and internationally, in innovation to meet the objectives. This will in turn push State-owned and private companies, as well as multinationals, to not only abide by the zero-emissions target, but actually innovate to claim leadership in emissions reduction technologies and services.

Our company Roland Berger achieved a carbon neutral position in 2020, and we have set further ambitious goals: net zero carbon by 2028. In order to ensure transparency around reduction targets, Roland Berger has committed to the Science Based Targets Initiative.

We are convinced that the world needs a new sustainable paradigm that takes the entire value cycle into account. The reduction of emissions, innovations in the use of resources, the reorganization of supply chains, and new production methods are becoming decisive competitive factors. As a global consultancy, we are also fully aware of the impact of our business on the climate, directly and through the advisory with our clients. Not only do we want to lead by example in our industry, but we also want to demonstrate effective ways of doing business sustainably to our clients.

Therefore, we are placing solutions for sustainable management at the center of its consulting approach. As part of this strategy, our company has identified four innovative areas in which it has bundled its competencies globally: sustainability and climate action, smart mobility, robust organizations, and next-generation manufacturing. We have built teams in each of these fields to support clients in a wide range of projects, from supply chain reorganization and technology strategies to sustainable financing issues.

A1: With the majority of the world still challenged by COVID-19, China has started recovering from the impact of the pandemic quite impressively, leveraging technology and embracing new business and engagement models to become the only major economy to grow according to IMF. This indicates a certain resilience and sustainability of the Chinese market and it is one reason why Microsoft believes that China has entered a "new development stage' as the Chinese government has said.

Microsoft will actively participate in and support economic development, technological innovation and talent exchange in China. We have unwavering confidence in China's future development and we are committed to serving the China market and customers here.

A2: We are encouraged that the 14th Five-Year Plan continues to advance "Innovation Driven Development". Microsoft believes that accelerating the digital transformation process and building business resilience will be essential to the survival and growth of enterprises in the future, whether Chinese or global.

Given that, Microsoft has started a new round of investment in China, from introducing new products, deploying new technologies and services, to further improving our local R&D of innovative technologies, and cultivating local talents. We unveiled a roadmap to further expand our cloud infrastructure and ecosystem investments in China with a new data center region in China to meet customer demand. This will double the capacity of Microsoft's intelligent cloud portfolio again in just a few years.

A3: In the early stage of COVID-19 outbreak, the fast adoption of remote technology and application scenarios in China provided many great examples of "Innovation Driven Development". With the continuous impact and uncertainty around the epidemic, Microsoft believes that accelerating digital transformation and enterprise resilience will remain essential to the future and the development of both Chinese and global enterprises. The innovation that these enterprises will create will continue to serve as global models and marketable solutions for the world.

Microsoft hopes to harness and amplify the advantages of the Chinese partner ecosystem and the partners' deep understanding of industry trends, their familiarity with market needs, and help them master technical capabilities to help more global companies expand their innovation activities in China, bring Chinese innovation to the world, and help transform and upgrade global businesses.

A4: Updating negative lists in China's FTZs and the Foreign Investment Law help fulfill China's ambition to more open the economy in a broader scope of fields and to a greater depth. This will encourage confidence among foreign enterprises and encourage investment into China, strengthening China's competitive advantage and ultimately benefit China's economic recovery.

A5: In 2020, Microsoft committed to becoming carbon-negative as a company by 2030 and to removing all of our historical carbon emissions from the atmosphere by 2050.

We are thrilled to see that the Chinese government places such great importance on sustainable development and we are looking forward to harnessing the power of technology and innovation to help build the more sustainable future that the government aspires to together with the country.

In China, we are focusing on key areas where we believe we can have the most impact: our operations, our products, and our solutions. But we are also prioritizing empowering our partners and our ecosystem to become more sustainable and to helping customers build sustainability through technology innovation.

A1: As the year 2021 is the first year of China's 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), the country will enter a period of new development, shift over time its focus of economic and social development from economic scale to efficiency and quality, and make "high-quality" development the new theme of the growth this year.

China is our largest market. In China, our success in adoption of a series of localization strategies makes us more confident in the company's long-term development. By means of our "second kitchen" project, we have met the needs of the Chinese market, and our products have been shipped and sold to other emerging markets.

In fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic, mobile imaging system - a pillar product of Carestream, plays an important role. In order to meet the market demand, Carestream, for the first time, has deployed the product line in China and boost the production volume. The sufficient supplies of our medical equipment will facilitate more people to have the access of gaining better medical services with lower cost across China.

A2: The core of high-quality development of medical devices is scientific and technological innovation. During the14th Five-Year Plan period, China's industry of medical device is expected to enter a stage of high-speed development. The applications of new technologies related to the internet, big data and artificial intelligence create more innovative space for development of China medical industry. As AI promotes the advances in radiology, Carestream has launched advanced applications such as smart positioning to help reduce the workload of technicians and boost their work efficiency.

As a provider of medical imaging systems, we have 755 technical patents and our products are being used in 90 percent of medical institutions worldwide. As a foreign-invested enterprise, Carestream centers on meeting the needs of Chinese users, promotes innovation and R&D in China, consolidates the Chinese market, and guides the Chinese technologies to go global.

A3: China has been enhancing its independent innovation ability, drawing on more international advanced practices, and sharing more scientific and technological achievements with other countries. For Carestream, China is not only a sales market for our products, but also an important source of our innovation and an engine for the future development. At present, the Shanghai Research and Development Center, the Rochester Center (the United States) and the Genoa Center (Italy) are three major global innovation and R&D centers of Carestream globally.

In addition to intensifying our efforts for research and development, we are advancing the "second kitchen" project, aiming mainly to develop products that meet localized needs of the Chinese market and other emerging markets. In the meantime, we have introduced the practical experience and business solutions gained from China to other emerging economies such as India, Brazil and Southeast Asian countries. We have achieved win-win results in local research, development and international cooperation.

A4: We always advocate open, inclusive and win-win cooperation in a fair and transparent business environment. Against the background of deepening reform and opening-up, China will continue to promote trade liberalization and investment facilitation, foster a better business environment, create a sound environment for fair competition, and achieve win-win results. We believe that all of these factors will create fresh momentum for all foreign companies operating in China.

As the Chinese market further opens, we believe that more commercial opportunities will emerge. Carestream will continue to make greater investments, provide our customers with a series of advanced solutions in opening-up and cooperation through technical innovations in an economical and effective way, so as to meet the increasingly diversified needs of Chinese customers and make Carestream's technologies truly benefit more patients.

A5: Carbon neutral is a global vision for responding to climate changes and achieving sustainable development. China has proposed the goal of carbon neutral, reflecting its responsibilities for environmental protection and responding to climate changes. The realization of the goal of carbon neutral cannot happen without the interactions among the government, enterprises, individuals and other different entities.

As a multinational company, Carestream conducts business in such a way as to preserve the environment and protect the health and safety of its employees and customers. In terms of environment preservation, we will create practical solutions and establish new management system to support product commercialization and manufacturing in a sustainable way.

Carestream is committed to sustainable development. We will continue to make technological progresses and innovations, promote low-carbon transformation of medical equipment manufacturing, and reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions from production in the future.

A1: For companies seeking longer-term development in China, this is a very exciting signal. This represents a better business environment, better policies and system, and a broader market prospect. Of course, it also poses higher requirements and greater challenges for the development of companies.

For Michelin, these changes will only make us more determined to plant its roots more deeply in the Chinese market, take the path of high-quality development, and focus on a sustainable future in China, for China. We will take active part in and enjoy the new dual-circulation development paradigm.

A2: This year is the beginning of China's 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25). It will foster a new development paradigm with domestic circulation as the mainstay and domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other. Under this new paradigm we will endeavor to seize opportunities.

Chinese consumers will not easily be satisfied with only high-quality products and services, but will more concentrate on their life experiences. By innovating daily mobility Michelin can present consumers with a unique and joyful lifestyle.

Michelin has made considerable progress in China thanks to Chinese economic reform over the past few decades. The current development of the international circulation means that more open markets and business environment optimization adds more confidence to Michelin's future development. Michelin will also continue to bring more cutting-edge technologies and products to China, including interconnected smart solutions and hydrogen mobility.

A3: Pursing high quality growth in China requires more innovation, scientific-based and technology-focused approaches. After 132 years of continuous innovation, Michelin has deeply realized that innovation is the core element for companies and countries to stay ahead and achieve sustainable development. In the journey of promoting innovation and cooperation, Michelin hopes to become a " pioneer" and "advocate".

Since entering the Chinese market, Michelin has been committed to introducing the cutting-edge technologies and products into the Chinese market. We have established a tire research and development center in Shanghai more than 20 years ago, through which based on the characteristics of the Chinese market. By doing so, it not only enhances its own strength, but also continually provides support for the development of local partners and customers, and actively promotes the development of sustainable mobility in China.

We believe that innovation cannot only bring about its own progress, but also inject impetus into the development of the entire industry and society. Through a series of innovation incubation projects, Michelin China provides domestic start-ups with rich industry knowledge and skills, and promotes the realization of sustainable mobility innovation solutions.

A4: We found that China is opening its door wider to welcome foreign investment. Over the years, the open-up initiatives have been constantly updated and upgraded. The updated negative lists in China's FTZs is the best proof. China's openness and welcoming attitude allows foreign companies to come to invest more conveniently and confidently. This will enable companies, China, and the world to achieve a win-win situation.

The pandemic is not over, and the world economy strives to get back to normal. China, as the only major economy in the world that has achieved positive economic growth in 2020, will inject strong impetus into the global economic recovery by opening wider to the world in an all-round way.

As the Chinese market enters a high-quality development stage and market potential continues to be tapped, companies in China will get broader access to the market and new development opportunities. We will seize this opportunity to allow consumers to share a safer, smarter, greener and more joyful sustainable future.

A5:"All sustainable" is the strategic vision of the Michelin Group, and "Planet" is one of three key pillars. We strive to make the planet greener through continuous innovation globally and in China.

From sustainable materials to factory production, from the usage of tires to the recycling of end-of-life tires, the entire life cycle of tires is more environmentally friendly. In February, Michelin announced that it would achieve 100 percent sustainability of tire production materials in 2050, including the use of renewable, recyclable, and bio-sourced materials. This is not just our ambition but reflects in our action.

The Michelin Group has been committed to hydrogen mobility for more than 15 years, promoting this greener and low-carbon energy and accelerating its research and development. Michelin China is also promoting the implementation of related businesses.

We also promote sustainable concepts in the catering industry. In last November, the Michelin Guide Beijing 2021 unveiled the Michelin Green Star for the first time in China, which aims to highlight exemplary establishments at the forefront of a more sustainable approach to gastronomy.