At the bustling 2026 China International Import Expo, more than 4,200 global exhibitors are gathered on this open platform to discuss the theme of "cooperation and growth." Have multinational giants fulfilled their promises to ramp up commitments in China over the past year? How will they deepen their engagement at this year's expo? These global giants have provided clear answers.
Intel (ASX: INTC) has been operating in China for 41 years and has built a very comprehensive presence, with 15,000 Chinese clients conducting business with the company. The Chinese market is extremely important, and this importance is reflected not only in its share of business but also in the growing innovation capabilities of Chinese partners in recent years. The vision for the future is to co-create more deeply with China's technology ecosystem to meet the needs of the Chinese market, and these technologies and products will eventually serve global markets as well. Intel will deeply collaborate and co-create with China's technology ecosystem, prioritizing the definition and development of products that respond to local Chinese market needs, then refining mature technologies and products to give back to the global market, achieving a positive cycle of innovating in China and serving the world. Wang Zhicong, Chairman of Intel China, made these remarks during an interview on November 6.
On the same day, Wu Dongming, CEO of DHL China, told reporters that in July this year, the DHL Shenzhen Super Gateway was put into operation. The total investment in the project exceeded 1.2 billion yuan, making it the largest single investment project by DHL Express in mainland China to date. Since 1986, Chinese and German shareholders and the joint venture have cumulatively invested more than 10 billion yuan in the Chinese market. Over the past 40 years, DHL's development has always resonated with China's opening-up and international trade development, continuously enhancing the connectivity between the Chinese market and the global network, Wu said.
Shifting Roles
In the eyes of exhibiting companies, the role of foreign enterprises in China is undergoing an important transformation, from being importers of products and technology to becoming partners in joint innovation. China is a very important strategic market for Alcon Inc. (ASX: ALC) globally. For over 30 years, the company has continuously brought global innovations to China while strengthening local development to ensure more innovations truly land in China and serve Chinese patients. According to the current innovation plan, over the next five years, Alcon plans to introduce more than 25 innovative products in China, further enriching innovative solutions that cover eye health needs across different life stages. Alcon is advancing the integration of global innovation introduction, local production, professional education, and clinical capability building to further align innovative outcomes with China's eye health needs, said Rick Kozloski, President of Alcon China.
At this year's expo, Alcon is showcasing multiple innovations covering different eye health fields. In the glaucoma and fundus disease areas, the company's Voyager DSLT and Valeda are making their China debut. Voyager DSLT is a direct selective laser trabeculoplasty device that simplifies the laser treatment process through non-contact treatment, automated laser delivery, and eye tracking technologies. Valeda uses photobiomodulation technology to provide a new treatment option for dry age-related macular degeneration. Zhang Jian, General Manager of Alcon China's Surgical Products Division, told reporters that the eye health needs of Chinese patients are continuously rising, which places higher demands on ophthalmic innovation. For Alcon, the value of innovation lies not only in bringing new technologies and products but more importantly in responding to real clinical needs. By introducing innovative solutions, the company hopes to promote the better application of advanced technologies in clinical practice, bringing tangible value to Chinese doctors and patients. While continuously introducing global innovations, Alcon is also further advancing local production and local professional capability building. Recently, the ophthalmic surgical table 1125 obtained a Class II medical device registration certificate, the company's first domestically produced medical device registration certificate in China and the first medical device product to complete registration approval using a localized production model. The company also launched the RISE strategic ophthalmic education alliance, joining hands with regional teaching hospitals to integrate high-quality ophthalmic education resources and promote regional ophthalmic talent cultivation and professional capability enhancement, Zhang said. According to the current innovation plan, over the next five years, Alcon plans to introduce more than 25 innovative products in China.
Global express giant DHL, exhibiting for the eighth consecutive year, features an aircraft installation as the core visual element at its expo booth, showcasing air transport and global connectivity capabilities. A naked-eye holographic projection uses a real international transport route from Suzhou to Rome as a carrier to visualize the cargo transportation process across different countries and regions, allowing visitors to follow the flow of a single shipment and intuitively understand how international transport connects different markets and industrial chains. Wu Dongming said in an interview that DHL has felt the continuous vitality of the Chinese market through the expo and has also witnessed increasingly deep economic and trade exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and foreign enterprises. As digital and intelligent technologies accelerate their integration into the real economy, the logistics industry is also continuously exploring new paths to improve quality and efficiency. Automation, digitalization, and intelligent technologies have been rapidly integrated into DHL's actual operations. In July this year, the DHL Shenzhen Super Gateway was put into operation. The total investment exceeded 1.2 billion yuan, making it the largest single investment project by DHL Express in mainland China to date. The gateway is equipped with high-speed automated sorting systems, intelligent stereoscopic warehouses, robotic arms, and AGV unmanned transport vehicles, and has introduced digital twin technology to achieve digital and intelligent upgrades in cargo handling, warehouse operations, and equipment management. After expansion, the gateway's daily cargo handling capacity reaches 900 tons, approximately three times the original capacity. The changes brought by digital and intelligent technologies have thus transformed from equipment and system upgrades into tangible improvements in actual operational capacity, Wu noted.
Wu emphasized that looking ahead, DHL will continue to deeply cultivate and invest in China, share the opportunities of China's vast market with all parties, and further leverage its global network and local operational advantages to support more efficient interconnection between China and world markets.
Reshaping New Partnerships
It is worth noting that this year's expo has seen expansion in the medical devices and healthcare, consumer goods, and other exhibition areas, with further concentration of health and nutrition brands. Australian company Forestpark's comprehensive dietary supplement brand Witsbb is exhibiting. As a veteran participant at the expo, Witsbb has increased its multi-point layout in the Chinese market this time: covering the Australian National Pavilion, Hunan Pavilion, Tmall Global booth, and Douyin booth at the exhibition level, and setting up a directly purchasable blue-hat health supplement liquid calcium product in Commercial Area C. Meanwhile, on November 6, Witsbb held a strategic cooperation signing ceremony with JD Health at the Australian National Pavilion at the expo to accelerate its entry into the Chinese market. Against the backdrop of steadily warming China-Australia economic and trade relations and continuously upgrading health consumption demand, China-Australia cooperation in the health industry is entering a new stage of quality improvement and upgrading. With its product strength and "allergen-free 100+" standard, Witsbb provides a vivid example of an Australian brand deeply cultivating the Chinese market. At this year's expo, Witsbb launched two new products, which on one hand represent an expansion of its own product matrix, and on the other hand place the "allergen-free 100+" standard and group standard practices under the joint scrutiny of the industry and consumers. In the next stage, Witsbb will continue to deeply cultivate the health industry, advance product research and development around the nutritional needs of allergic baby families and more population groups, and contribute to the healthy development of the industry with standardization and normalization as the direction, said Ben Lazaaro, CEO of Australian Manufacturing.
In fact, as China's economy enters a stage of high-quality development, how multinational enterprises re-examine the Chinese market and adjust their strategies in China has become a focal point of attention across various sectors. A report titled "2026 Multinational Enterprise China Outlook" released by KPMG during the expo shows that 193 senior executives of multinational enterprises in China analyzed the latest changes in corporate confidence, investment intentions, and business models. Multinational enterprises are continuously promoting the localization of key business functions to improve operational efficiency, and the focus of localization is gradually expanding to broader functions such as supply chain, logistics, procurement, management, research and development, and marketing. However, a series of issues still need to be properly handled, including global control versus local autonomous decision-making, compliance and risk control, and intellectual property protection, analyzed Jiang Liqin, Lead Partner of Client and Business Development at KPMG China, at the press conference.
From the perspective of multinational enterprises themselves, whether at the expo or beyond, their expectations for the Chinese market are gradually recovering, with greater optimism about China's economic prospects and their own business performance in China. The proportion of surveyed enterprises expressing confidence in their China operations has increased compared to the previous year. Looking ahead three to five years, respondents' confidence in China's economy and their own business development has further strengthened. In terms of investment intentions, despite ongoing market uncertainties, most multinational enterprises plan to maintain or increase investment in China, with the proportion of companies planning to expand investment scale rising. The main reasons cited by surveyed enterprises for increasing investment include maintaining competitiveness in the Chinese market, enhancing local research and development capabilities, and increasing production capacity. Mark Harrison, Lead Partner of Multinational Enterprise Channels at KPMG China, said in an interview that companies are increasing investment in China mainly due to strategic demands such as maintaining local market competitiveness, enhancing local research and development capabilities, expanding production capacity, and positioning for "China serving the globe."
The strategic focus of multinational enterprises is shifting from purely pursuing growth to profitability, with more than half of respondents placing profitability above growth. Alongside adjustments in investment and profit targets and localization, AI application has also become an important lever for multinational enterprises to improve efficiency. Driven by both the macroeconomic environment and local competition, multinational enterprises on one hand are optimistic about the development opportunities brought by China's vast domestic demand potential, comprehensive industrial supporting facilities, and innovation ecosystem; on the other hand, facing increasingly fierce local competition, they are paying more attention to investment trade-offs, operational efficiency, and profit quality. For multinational enterprises, how to reshape advantages in the deepening stage of localization and seize opportunities in the "China serving the globe" trend will be the core proposition for winning in the Chinese market over the next three to five years, Liu Xiaoguang, Lead Partner of the Artificial Intelligence Transformation Office at KPMG China, told reporters.